Review of Whiplash (2014) by Kyle B — 16 Oct 2017

(4 out of 4 Stars) Most people already know how great this is, but here are some thoughts after a rewatch. I think there are some elements with this that really resonate with millennials. I read a stat a while back that claimed that one out of four millennials want to be famous.

As you can imagine, being one of the four can be intimidating since so many people will want to achieve the same as you. Many millennials believe you really need to be dedicated to whatever it is you want to be to achieve success, and this is, of course, the case of Miles Teller's character Andrew who wants to be one of the greats in jazz drumming.

He is so obsessively driven that it tears him apart psychologically and even makes him less sympathetic towards others. In the beginning, he is pretty mild-mannered, but as he is being pushed further by his domineering professor, (JK Simmons gives one of the most iconic performances of the decade, in my opinion) You really see Andrew begin to belittle others and act harsh when people inconvenience him.

I think it goes to show how being driven to become highly successful can sometimes make you less sympathetic towards others. Wanting to be famous has its costs, and the fact that Andrew is as driven as he is shows the negatives of becoming just that, but if you want to achieve a level of success similar to Andrew, it can be dangerous sometimes.

I also give praise to the movie for not taking a perspective of judging his actions. In other words, it's not really saying whether or not where he is going is good for him. I think Damien Chazelle wanted the audience to decide for themselves whether or not they think Andrew is going down a good path, which I appreciate as well.

Overall, I thought 2014 was a great year for independent cinema and this is evidence of it.