Whiplash, Review: ‘Cymbalic decapitation’

On the heels of Birdman comes Whiplash, another, much bigger ode to jazz drumming. Confined to four lead actors—a student, his teacher, his father and his girl-friend—Whiplash builds its own legend around itself, not dissimilar to the way in which sports and war films push their protagonists to the brink, before they can reap the fruits of hard labour and either vanquish the enemy or win encomiums for themselves.

Andrew Neyman is a 19 year-old ambitious jazz drummer, single-minded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his fictional elite east coast school, the Shaffer Music Conservatory. Plagued by the failed writing career of his father, Andrew hungers day and night to become one of the greats. Terence Fletcher, an instructor equally known for his teaching talents as for his terrifying methods, leads the top jazz ensemble in the school. Fletcher discovers Andrew and moves the aspiring drummer into his band, forever changing the young man’s life. Andrew’s passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless, abusive teacher continues to push him to the brink of both his ability and his sanity.

Fletcher justifies his behaviour with an anecdote about the legendary jazz saxophonist, Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, who, while still an unknown youth, was once playing a solo at a jam session with professionals, one of whom was the great drummer Jo Jones. Parker played so badly that day that Jones threw a cymbal at his head, nearly decapitating him. After that humiliation, Parker went home and practiced so long and so hard that he came back a year later and made history with his solo. (In reality, the incident was slightly different from this version).

Whiplash is written and directed by Damien Chazelle, 30, the man who made 2009’s black-and-white independent jazz musical, Guy and Madeline on A Park Bench). The film is heavily inspired by Chazelle’s own experience as a high-school drummer with an abusive mentor, and his struggles with anxiety and depression during that period of his life. Andrew Fletcher, the conductor in the film, is not exactly like his own mentor. He explains, “Fletcher’s mind-set is, ‘If I have 100 students, and 99 of them are, because of my teaching, ultimately discouraged and crushed from ever pushing this art form, but one of them becomes Charlie Parker, it was all worth it.’ That’s not a mentality I share, but in many ways, that’s the story of the movie. He acknowledges being under the influence of films like The Fighter, Rocky and Raging Bull. Along the way, events are overdone for dramatic effect. From the very first scene, in which Andrew is playing alone in the passage between class-rooms and Terence makes his entry, you are gripped by the narrative.

It’s different, difficult and daring. That learning music can be so blood-letting might come as news to many. Musicians are known to be cantankerous and things been thrown at their disciples and detractors are not entirely unknown in India either. Nevertheless, what is shown on screen here is the extreme. On the musical side, the film might serve as an initiation into jazz of the full-blooded orchestra type. (It served to make me more interested in the form, which I did not fancy too much). Whiplash refers to a score that the band plays, Caravan being another.

Playing the drummer is Miles Teller (Two-Night Stand, Divergent, That Awkward Moment, The Spectacular Now), who had several awkward moments in Two-Night Stand. He has a poker-face, a lost look and speaks in a hoarse whisper. Being a trained drummer is a big advantage, though Chazelle has used recorded music in many pieces. It’s a powerful performance, and your heart goes out to him, though he has hardly any admirable qualities except his ability to play jazz drums. J.K. Simmons (Break Point, JOBS, Dark Skies, The Words, long-running white-supremacist villain on HBO’s Oz) is devilish and supremely sadistic. He too is a musician and has been a conductor, which shows. Watch him terrify you and keep you rivetted in the second half of the film.

Cast as Andrew’s father, with whom he watches movies and munches corn, Paul Reiser (Life after Beth, Behind the Candelabra, The Thing about My Folks) underplays his character of a failed writer and extends quiet support to his son. Small role, well essayed. Playing the girl Andrew dates and then breaks-up with, Melissa Benoist (Glee) is effective. Two scenes between the couple stand out—one, when he expresses his interest in dating her, and the other when they break-up. Miles is in good touch too.

Two musical terms recur repeatedly in the film, mouthed by Fletcher: rushing and dragging.

Well, drag or rush, a visit to the cinema is in order.

Rating: ***

Trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/whiplash/feature-international-trailer