Whiplash

Whiplash (2014, Damien Ghazelle)

The film typically deals with several different topics. The most important detail stands out as the sadomasochistic relationship between Andrew (Miles Teller) and Fletcher (J.K.Simmons). In this respect, the title seems ideal. The film is closer to a psychoanalytical cinematic text and concerns artistic creativity and self-destruction. In addition to psychological traits, the distinction between professionalism and amateurism in a non-ordinary educational relationship sets up a complex narrative that on its most serious level unfolds the truth of the protagonist's confusion and perplexity. With various forms of montage aesthetics, the exhilaration of film derives not so much from the narrative but the pleasure that the visual format offers to the audience. Artifice and playfulness of the musical performances are the most prominent characteristics of the editing process. Undoubtedly, the film conveys an admirable summary of the protagonist's confrontation with artistic ambition that ruins the other aspects of his life. At the end of the film, Andrew earns his skill and achieves a kind of professionalism that satisfies Fletcher, but the consequence of this aggressiveness and outrage turns him into a monster (Fletcher?) that he rejects to become. Review: By Morad Sadeghi