Whiplash: Drummed Deep Into My Memory

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2016)

A steadily increasing drum beat mercilessly crashes through a narrow door, which sits at the end of a dingy dark corridor, where a young man plays his drums with ferocity. This is the opening scene of a movie full of harrowing, passionate scenes with a plot full of twists and turns.
J.K. Simmons depicted the character Terence Fletcher, a strict conductor. Fletcher is a confusing maze of aggressive and passionate traits and emotions. Simmons goes from throwing a drum across the room that crashes directly above the head of a student to encouraging a young girl to continue her dream to pursue music. Simmons speaks and strides with the utmost confidence and poise. His demeanor shifts from calm to yelling and snarling in a matter of moments. He is a very active and reactive author. Simmons uses whatever you give him, whether a line or a prop and uses it to express whatever emotion he is trying to convey.
Miles Teller plays Andrew, a young drummer who goes to a prestigious university for the musically talented known as Schaffer University. In this University he plays for a Jazz Band conducted under none other than Terence Fletcher, a much esteemed educator. Teller's acting in this film can only be described as very lackluster. In Whiplash, Teller seems to follow Simmons lead in the scenes, which would make sense seeing as this is Tellers first big role. He should have taken the scenes and added his own spin to the scene to truly leave his mark. This becomes quite apparent in the scene in which he is accepted into the Jazz band. His character should have been ecstatic at this opportunity. However, this was not the case. Instead his face served as a blank slate during this important moment. The volume of his voice was at a constant low and somewhat shaky, even feeble throughout the production. As the film proceeded he did become more diverse with his intonation and volume but it was not enough to redeem his performance in my eyes. The more he played the role the more he learned to manipulate it.
The cinematography, led by Sharone Meir, was stellar. The movie was based in three main colors. A deep forest green, a rich maroon, and a bold mustard yellow. Whiplash is almost completely doused in these "dark" colors which really gives the movie a dank atmosphere. In the entire movie there was only a single scene of "light" and for Andrew, Miles Teller, it was a key game changer. The clear control of light and framework helps establish the overarching mood of this film as well as illuminate the internal struggle of the characters. Justin Hurwitz, the music director, did a stunning job of managing the music. Throughout the movie key moments were highlighted by a dulled jazz tune played in the background. Other times, when Andrew is playing for example, the music is a bright, tangy kind of jazz clear cut and angry most of the time. The music alone could have told the story in and of itself.
Director and Writer Damien Chazelle did his best work with Whiplash. While his other movies weren't as well received, Grand Piano, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, and more, they can be overlooked because of this film. Some might decide to avoid this film out of fear that they won't understand the musical lingo. Watch it anyways. This movie was easy to understand even without a musical background. Overall this movie was excellent and deserved all of the nominations and awards it received. I am thrilled for Damien Chazelle's future work.