Excellent piece of acting performance, music and direction !

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2018)

Whiplash is one of those films with a solid but very specific story. The plot revolves around two central characters - an aspiring drummer Andrew (Miles Teller) and his jazz mentor Fletcher (J.K Simmons). Fletcher, an 'explosive' hard task-master, is one of those who believe that best musicians are nurtured only when they are pushed to perform beyond expectations and shall not settle for "just good". His way of teaching challenges Andrew emotionally, mentally and physically almost to his breaking point.
The movie sticks to it's central plot and characters, with no superfluous side plots, and thus has the viewer's best attention to Andrew's hardships under Fletcher. Both the characters are exceptionally well played-out by the seasoned actors. Since the movie is based on jazz, the movie is full of it (no expert here, but kind of enjoyed it). Fletcher's scoldings and arguments as a music teacher resemble more to those of a military commander. Nevertheless, some are very impactful and note-worthy (Like- There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "good job" ). While the methods of teaching music depicted in the movie are questionable (especially in the field of art where expression and individuality are essence), but movie does well to engage and amaze the audience. The ending though might seem a little abrupt, with unanswered viewer question of what happened next. The movie also does seem to bring forth a crucial question of what real greatness is and does opinion and approval of certain people matter for feeling worthy.
Watch it for excellent film making, story and acting performance by Miles and Simmons.