*Be warned, there are major spoilers ahead*

Synopsis

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is about Andrew, a drummer trying to make it within the jazz world. He’s incredibly talented and obsessed with becoming one of the greats. This obsession finds him in the hands of Fletcher, which leads to him becoming a victim of abuse. Andrew does end up becoming one of the greats, but the movie also produces a huge misconception. While some believe it teaches a lesson saying that the harder you work, the farther you’ll get, it’s really about the abuse and obsession one can find themselves in.

Obsession

Andrew meets Fletcher at the beginning of the film. Fletcher is his idol and the man who he looks up to as he’s the top conductor of the top class. So when Andrew is told to show Fletcher his double time swing on the drums and Fletcher walks out on him. This sparks a deeper obsession within him to make Fletcher proud and become one of the jazz drummer greats. This fixation has him break up with his girlfriend in the worst way possible, get into a car crash and still go to a concert. His toxic compulsion to be the best was killing him mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Abuse

Fletcher has the mindset that he must push his students to greatness through harm. He even had a student, Sean Casey, who was incredibly talented end up killing himself because of Fletcher’s early abuses. Andrew is a victim of Fletcher’s demeaning words, phrases, and actions. Andrew is susceptible to this abuse as his obsession with Fletcher and greatness. This abuse is so detrimental it leads to a court case against Fletcher because of his terrible abuse against his students.

Conclusion

Concluding this article, Whiplash is a memorable film for its beautiful writing, cinematography, and especially its ending. Whiplash uses its beauty to evoke emotion and the themes of abuse and obsession, making it to what I believe to be one of the best films ever. Honestly, one of my favorites and recommend you, the reader, to watch it.

Rating: 9.2/10