Whiplash Review
Synopsis
Andrew, a talented drums player, is under the control of a ruthless instructor that will drive him to perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
Obsession
One of the main themes of Whiplash is obsession, as the movie begins with Andrew playing his drums out of passion, later as the movie progresses Andrew is accepted into a difficult program in his college to play with the controller instructor, Fletcher. By the end of the movie, Andrew is completely blinded with the idea that he needs to be the greatest and give everything he's got so that he is "remembered" all of this influenced by Fletcher.
Power through Color
Chazelle is know for his electric and vibrant colors on film, and Whiplash is no exception. By portraying each main character with a specific color, we immediatly know who is in charge of what just by the coloring of the scene.
Green
Right by the beginning of the movie we see a shot of Andrew playing his drums, and the coloring and lighting of the scene is indicated by green, showing that he is the one in control of that specific area. Making the "color" of Andrew: green.
Orange
Once Andrew is accepted into the program by Fletcher we see that the classroom has a warm orange color and lightining. As the scene goes on we see that Fletcher screams at students so they show their best performances, showing that the color of Fletcher is orange.
The Outcomes of the Obsession
Accident
As Andrew drives to a music competition, he gets into a car accident. Still, Andrew gets out of the car bleeding and goes to the competition like nothing happened. Later on Fletcher doesn't let him play as he is covered blood, and in response Andrew punches Fletcher, which later results into a big fight. Resulting on the expulsion of both Fletcher and Andrew out of the program.
Break Up
As Andrew is getting really serious on the drums, he breaks up with his girlfriend as he says that she is distracting him and that she doesn't take things seriously, as she dropped out of college. After, his girlfriend storms out of the restaurant out of anger, and Andrew doesn't show any signs of regret or sadness. Showing how nothing and no one will affect Andrew's goal to greatness.
Agression
The most insane proof of obsession of this movie is when Fletcher challenges three drummers in his program to show their best and to keep in "tempo". As a result, all of the students give everything they got to the point of bleeding their own hands, but only Andrew was able to keep on tempo and show his best performance.
The Monologue
As though the movie clearly shows multiple scenes that show Andrew's drive to be the best of the best in drumming. This well written dinner dialogue scene shows in Andrew's own words what he wants exactly. For context, his father did a dinner with Andrew's uncle and his nephews, but they all don't acclaim Andrew's hard work and commitment to drumming, they just focuses on the football player nephew. Later on, Andrew discusses with his uncle their idea of success, when Andrew says the following: "I’d rather die broke and drunk at 34 and have people at a dinner table somewhere talk about it than die rich and sober at 90 and have no one remember me. I prefer to feel hated and cast out. It gives me purpose."
Towards the End
After Fletcher and Andrew are both expelled from the program, they both fell left out, and all of a sudden they meet up into a jazz bar, where Fletcher apologizes for everything he did to Andrew. Fletcher also proposes to Andrew to play the drums into a band with Fletcher's old friends for a competition, and Andrew immediately agrees (showing his obsession to drumming and how he needs it to feel like himself again). As Andrew is about to play he realizes he doesn't know the routine and that Fletcher lied to him about it being like the one in his program. Still, Andrew steals the scene by the end of the presentation, as he starts playing a long and complicated routine. Later on, Fletcher guides Andrew through the routine before the band start playing along with them.
The Final Scene
The last scene we see from the movie is a heavy eye contact between Andrew, who is smilling, and Fletcher. This scene is specifically the best scene from the whole movie as it shows they feel like themselves again, Fletcher being a controling instrcutor and Andrew an obsessed drummer to success. From this scene, the audience can easily understand how Fletcher will continue to push Andrew to perfection, and Andrew being more than fine with that.
Interesting Fact
As the last scene happens, an interesting fact that you can see is the lightining and coloring of the scene. As the auditorium is with a warm orange color (Fletcher's color) we can understand that the one in control is Fletcher, and that Andrew is being controlled by Fletcher.
Damien Chazelle's Direction
Damien Chazelle's direction in Whiplash is remarkable due to its precision and intensity. He is able to build tension and drama through rhytmic editing, rapid camera work, and intense music themes. Chazelle's ability to take out amazing performances by Miles Teller and J.K Simmons enhances the film's emotional impact. His direction makes sure that every scene contains a lot of energy, making Whiplash an unforgettable movie.