Whiplash (2014)

Pure, unrelenting intensity.  This film reminded me a little of Black Swan.  At their cores, both films are about the unstoppable pursuit of perfection  And the path to success is thrilling and nerve-wracking and slightly mortifying.  It reinforces to young artists that greatness is not easily achieved.  It requires persistence, determination, concentration, hours of practice and a teacher to push you beyond the limit.

The acting in this movie is phenomenal.  JK Simmons is the scariest band conductor you could imagine.  All of his students are terrified of him and avoid eye contact at all costs.  Simmons is really quite monstrous, inhuman.  And Miles Teller just takes it.  He uses the yelling and the insults to motivate him to be better.  He, too, deserves recognition for pushing himself to the limits--you can see it clearly in his facial expressions.  Both are helped by smart writing.

Damien Chazelle adapted his own short film into a feature length film.  What is the message that Chazelle tries to convey?  It is semi-autobiographical, and obviously he had a bad experience in band. The teacher has a lasting negative impact psychologically.   But perhaps Chazelle agrees that the teaching style brings out the best in the musicians.

The excitement level is helped by some really sharp film editing and cinematography.  The jazz rhythms dictate the fast and rhythmic cuts.  Each shot is beautifully composed.  My favorite shot is of Teller's character intensely practicing at his drum set. We see his face on the right half of the screen at an upward angle and the left half of the screen is blocked by the cymbal.  Who knew that drumming could be so exciting?