Whiplash – a movie where the drummer went off the rails

Perhaps the best film by Damien Chazzell is Whiplash (Whiplash, 2013) – a movie about an aspiring jazz drummer who receives an academic education at a jazz school and wants to become a great musician. However, the dramatic intensity of passions here is no less than in psychological thrillers. The main character’s name is Andrew Nieman, played by Miles Teller.

Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) reminded me of the sergeant from the All-Metal Shell of the Forecastle. He practices the same type of army violence, but he is a man of art, he is much more complicated and aesthetically pleasing. The first time I watched the movie, on that rehearsal scene, I directly felt what the main character was feeling, I was afraid of screwing up with him.

Here he behaves like an evil tyrant, but suddenly he suddenly changed, became a kind daddy and best friend, his look softened, warmed up. After class, he is already different. He told me a story from his life, asked about your family. He behaves in such a way that it is not clear how to treat him. Andrew begins to love and hate him.

But when sensei gives him a chance, kicking the guy out from behind the drum kit, he (Andrew) can’t hold back his malicious grin, he’s bursting with such pride: aha, here you are a loser! In short, the guy caught a star. I decided to go over my heads, and such upstarts are oh so disliked in the team. You’ll be alone, man, and in a difficult hour no one will come to your aid. You will have to rely only on yourself. And it is not known if you will cope. Little Andrew.

Andrew acted with the girl as foolishly as only happens in life. Really broke into her, stupid goat. I recognized myself in some ways, and in some ways someone from the female sex who did this to me. This is done by people who have almost no experience of relationships. They make a stupid and cruel choice dictated by youthful maximalism, multiplied by a sense of self-importance and at the same time helplessness and inability to accept and appreciate support. The scene at the family dinner is indicative, where Andrew behaves as if he is the chosen one, and the rest are dirt from under his fingernails. The guy does not understand that it is much more likely to become great when you have the love and respect of loved ones with you.

At the end of the film in Fletcher we see a tired man to whom fate has turned his back (not without Andrew’s help) and he accepted his defeat “yes, it happens”. Who, instead of leading an orchestra at a top music college, quietly plays the piano in the evenings in an inconspicuous bar.

Fletcher casually sadly offers Andrew a rematch, a place in his new project, out of old friendship or something: “the drummer doesn’t pull there, maybe you’ll try?” Yes, of course he agrees and gets involved again. But before the start of the musical action, Fletcher leans over to our hero and whispers, “do you think I didn’t know it was you? Stupid idiot!” And we are pleased to see the silly, trusting smile slipping off Niemann’s face.

It’s funny to read opinions about the film, they are divided. Or “Brilliant!” or “The director doesn’t understand anything about jazz,” “bullshit on vegetable oil.” This means that such an ambiguous film is worthy of your viewing.

“I wanted you to overcome the limits of what was expected. I think it’s absolutely necessary. Otherwise we will deprive the world of a new Louis Armstrong, a new Charlie Parker.”