14
PURE M Magazine
Whiplash
A
Review by Brian Langan
ristotle noted that “Excellence is never an
accident”, a mantra that Andrew Neiman (Miles
Teller), the ambitious protagonist of Whiplash, and
his brutal tutelage, Fletcher (J.K Simmons) adopt
unequivocally. Excellence, he continues, “is always the result
of high intention, sincere effort and intelligent execution”
which, when assumed, leads Neiman to Shaffer Conservatory
to be subject to emotional, verbal and physical abuse on his
path to perfection.
Although Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle, initially
appears to place music at its very core; it is a film that could
have easily been about anything as structurally it appears
closer to films regarding sport, like Aronofsky’s Black Swan,
than typical films about music and demonstrates this by
showing Neiman’s passion in long, gruelling montages as he
practices till his own skin is torn and his drums are painted
with the red of blood.
Neiman is wholly competitive and the audience is made
understand that normal activities, such as dating, are far
beyond the anxious and isolated mind of a character who
wishes to be remembered amongst the giants of the art form.
This isolation, coupled with his own passion for perfection,
spirals Neiman towards obsession while granting Fletcher an
opportunity to become even more fearful as the tyrant of
symphony.
Simmon’s role as Fletcher is definitely the most compelling
element of Whiplash. He brandishes his own form of
psychological punishment that, in his opinion, the
hypercompetitive jazz environment requires. The eager
student is at first put to ease by the kindly admonishment the
sentence “not quite my tempo” is delivered with only to be
punished by it seconds later as it seeks to humiliate and
torment. Simmons, in a powerful display, shouts “I will gut
you like a pig” while also sprinkling doubt in the audience,
who can often be seen commending his efforts, by telling us
he was to “…push people beyond what’s expected of them”.
“I believe that’s an absolute necessity”, he suggests. His role
transforms Whiplash from a hollow tale of ambition into a
hand-to-the-throat thriller.
The plot, though often lacking and familiar, is inviting and
inventive and makes for an enjoyable, if uncomfortable,
watch.