Story doesn't convince

Rating: 4/10 (12 November 2014)

On 13 November Whiplash – directed by Damien Chazelle starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons – will premier at the Netherlands cinema. This movie about an ambitious and talented drum player and his dominant, relentless teacher, is expected to do well, based on the positive reception it had in many countries and at several festivals. Even before its release the movie opened the Leiden International Film Festival, and won the LIFF Indie Competition. General appreciation is also shown at IMDb, where the film scores 87/100 with about 4400 votes.
The story that the movie brings forward is not new. Andrew, a young drum player, enrolls at the high-class, well-reputed Shaffer Conservatory, where he meets Fletcher, an infamous teacher working with high standards and non-compromising methods. Andrew attracts his attention and a struggle between the two characters begins when Andrew secures the position of first drum in the school band practicing for the national school competition. The movie focuses on the two main characters, and the way in which they interrelate with the aim to realize the best drum performance for the school's honor, but more so for their own prestige and ego.
Although the movie excels in cinematography, acting and music – provided you at least like some level of jazz music – the story doesn't seem to convince. The strict focus on the two men and their sole purpose leads to repetition in the narrative, following the cycle of insult and pressure from the teacher, hard work and pain by the student, and short-term victory for both when a performance succeeds. Even at the end of the movie, when things seem to turn around, the teacher again tries to push the student into a great performance, which he indeed delivers.
Additional characters, such as the student's father, girl friend or other musicians at the school, are just there to support the main story. They never get any depth or backgrounds, and their role is minimal; they are there to underline how determined and ambitious Andrew really is. The school functions as decor, with musicians as extra's and no sign of a board, other teachers or school infrastructure.
Focusing on one aspect of a human relationship can produce interesting and compelling movies, but Whiplash is not a good example. Besides the elimination of all surrounding factors, there is another possible reason why the story doesn't convince me. The general idea underlying the story is that real talent blossoms with hardship and pain. Consequently, the message is delivered that it is good to bully and mistreat a student with talent, so that he or she gets to full development. To my mind this message is not true, at least not always, and needs more justification than a flat, straight story about two egocentric men struggling for power and recognition.