It is as discomforting and uncertain, as every great piece of Art should be. It is hard.

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2015)

It is that hard. The first thought that comes to mind after watching it : It is that hard. To be great, to be amongst the greatest. This is the first and the most obvious narrative line in the film. The one that the protagonist (antipathetic friendless character who seems to be equipped with an extraordinary drive) sets as his ultimate goal. In this world purged of imperfections, faces are grim and no one looks you in the eye. The world is indifferent and you don't matter unless you do something really exceptional. Or die. There are no Grey zones, there is no redemption, no one cares. It is hard. The father and the girlfriend, the only two "human" characters, are marginalized for their mediocrity and lack of purpose and therefore, are irrelevant. We are in the mind of the protagonist whose only drive in life is to be the greatest drummer. So this is the price: in hundred and seven minutes you bleed with him, you get beaten and your spirit crushed to pieces. Time and again you get sick of the tension, of the pressure, of all that bloody jazz. Music has never been this hard. Director bashes his bat to the beat of the drum so that by the end you have adrenaline rushing and your heart pumping like you're about to have a heart attack. It is as discomforting and uncertain, as every great piece of Art should be. It is hard.
There is a great moment by the end, when the student asks his mentor, brilliantly sadistic J.K.Simmons: where do you draw the line? This is the very premise of the film and this is what the film is really about. It is far beyond the story of success or one man's journey to realize his dreams, nor is about the brutal relationship between the student and his mentor (though it examines it perfectly). The weight lies not in them but in the complete lack of empathy for them. The human characters are merely tools of a superior concept. They channel an unbridled ambition which is the core of the film, its real protagonist. For those "who hear not the music" they appear mad, or if you prefer "driven". But what if they're right?
Finally, it is a movie of our time and for our times. For generations brought up to believe they will all be great someday. Who think they've earned it with the birth certificate. Well here's the spoiler: it is that hard. I don't know if the director/writer draws from his own experience but he is definitely familiar with the concepts of sacrifice and commitment. Great job Damien Chazelle, you've earned it.