7.5/10

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2015)

"Whiplash" puts us in the deliciously uncomfortable position of rooting for the shared success of two characters who are unlikable individually and toxic together. It's one of the most disturbing entertaining movies I've seen in a long while. The only thing I can compare it to would be watching a Stanley Kubrick film, although the second feature from 29- year-old writer-director Damien Chazelle couldn't be more different stylistically from the chilly and precise work of the late master; it's feverishly alive and relentlessly intense. Still, "Whiplash" similarly provokes contradictory reactions and emotions. It wows you and makes you squirm simultaneously. I can't say I enjoyed myself, but I also can't deny being dazzled.