Just my tempo - Whiplash review

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

A pair, match made in hell.

If you want to see a film perfectly succeed at building tension whilst also feeding an audience incredible drumming skills and jazz standards, Whiplash (D. Chazelle) is the one for you.

From La La Land director, Damien Chazelle gives the audience an incredible snippet into the life of Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) and how much passion and drive it takes to become the most successful and famous drummer of the 21st Century - but this is not without it's trials, and those trials come in the form of conservatory teacher Terrence Fletcher (JK Simmons), whose teaching methods are far from conventional.

The movie battles with the ideas of how far are you willing to go to achieve your dreams, and how much are you willing to sacrifice to reach them. Chazelle uses his incredible way of storytelling, his great ear for perfectly timed musical moments and his untouchable ability of telling gritty stories set on the backdrop of rather glamorous experiences to create a perfect example of why films are made. These stories resonate with audiences because you can find something human within them, something relatable and meaningful that allow you to place yourself within them.

Editor, Tom Cross must be praised for his incredibly precise and immaculate skills which make the band practice scenes mirror that of a high speed car chase. The flicks between Fletcher and the musician in question, set to the rhythm and the time of the drum beat creates not only an interesting and new watch for audiences, but also a suspenseful one that amazingly mirrors the pace of the dialogue.

The audience are on the edge of their seats, watching a battle take place, and waiting for the victor. Fletcher vs. Neiman, who will win? And in short, neither do. Both must lose in order to gain, and both must be dealt what they deserve. Whilst it could be seen that both are ultimately striving to be the best in their field, this drive is masked by the need to out do each other and prove each other wrong. Simmons perfectly portrays the damaged and brutal teacher and manages to fool an entire audience into possibly believing that he may in fact care for Neiman, worthy of his academy award, whilst Teller creates an innocence and vulnerability in Andrew that takes an audience on a journey of self reflection, whilst also creating a character that leaves audiences debating the sympathy they feel towards him.

The soundtrack is incredible, caravan is an outstanding performance that rivals major musical movies, and is performed incredibly in the movie, and props must be given to Miles Teller who learned top level drumming skills in order to accurately portray someone of his skill, and majority of the drumming in the movie, and 40% of the soundtrack, is performed by Teller himself.

The toxic mix of perfectionism, drive, ambition and an excessive amount of hubris create an incredible film that allows audiences to sympathise, deter and debate as to how far truly is too far in order to achieve your dreams, and what are your goals truly worth. Loss of friends, family and life; is it all really worth it in the end?