A Mesmerizing Experience

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2015)

Your adrenaline starts to flow
Your blood is rushing
Your hands are bleeding
You make it good, you make it bleed
WHIPLASH!
Andrew Neiman, a freshman at Shaffer Conservatory, is determined to become the perfect jazz drummer. Andrew meets a terrifying instructor at school, his name is Terence Fletcher. Fletcher runs the school's best jazz ensemble. After finding Andrew alone practicing his drumming, he is determined that he wants Andrew in his band. Once on board, Andrew is treated with offensive behavior and insults. Fletcher himself is a stubborn middle-aged man that will sacrifice his own career just to find the next Charlie
Parker.
But Andrew believes that gaining Fletcher's respect and approval is the key to achieving his one desire, so puts everything he has into it, including his personal life and even sanity. While music is the central theme of this movie, it is about so much more than that. Whiplash is essentially a film about a student who is willing to go further than any other human being to accomplish his goals.
The film brilliantly combines drama and psychological terror, creating an atmosphere with feelings of fear, love and hate. None of the above would be possible without the great cinematographer Sharone Meir. Sharone's stunning photography catches every bit of sweat and blood, turning everything into an exhilarating art-house full of lightning bolts-hammering the audience with striking emotion! Damien Chazelle's script is marvelously written with excellent pacing and furious dramatic elements.
The stars of the film are of course our leads, J.K. Simmons as Fletcher and Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman. Teller is absolutely amazing as Andrew Neiman. Whiplash is where he gets his opportunity to show his acting skills and his subtle turn as a very important character and ambitious student in the heart of the film.
J.K. Simmons is really the ace in the sleeve, his thrilling and mesmerizing performance just gives me an urge to jump out of happiness on the edge of my seat. Never in my life have I seen such a good adaption to a character before. How can they create a character like that? How can they make the character feel so human? That is beyond my imagination.
A good edit is something that you don't notice, but I think it can be the other way around. An amazing edit like the one in Whiplash is something you definitely won't miss.
Breaking down the various aspects of this film, the thing that stands out the most is the performances by the two leads. Miles Teller driving the enthusiasm and energy into the character of a highly motivated drummer really is inspiring. J.K. Simmons' absolutely perfect portrayal of the furiously scary teacher was raw and brutal. Even if the character was unforgettable and cruel, I myself could relate to him somehow. Their characters kind of represent the good and the bad in life. One can't be anything without the other. The whole film was shot in 19 days. I'm very thankful towards the creator and the crew behind this, one can't make a masterpiece single- handedly.
Thanks for the ride.