Whiplash

Oh my god! Ohmygod! OMG! OMG!OMG!
When was the last time you watched a movie which blew you away? 
Which kept you on the edge of your seat?
Which was so far from your life or interest but you were sucked in completely?
Where you wondered 'Will he? Won't he? What happens next?'
And when he does you scream 'Oh yes... yes... Oh yes'
And when he doesn't you scream and cry in horror 'Oh no... no, no, no... THAT did not just happen'
and clutch at your blanket 
(I know it's hot but I like to cover myself)
And when was the last time there was a twist in the movie at every minute?
That movie exists... ladies and gentlemen... it's called Whiplash.


Whiplash has been written and directed by Damien Chazelle and it is based on his experiences in a studio band. 

Miles Teller plays Andrew Neiman who is a Jazz drummer student. He is ambitious and aspires to be someone great like Buddy Rich even if it means he will be on cocaine and dead by 30. He is in the 1st year of Shaffer Conservatory in New York which is one of the best. While practising drumming at the studio one night, he is noticed by the conductor Terence Fletcher, played by J.K Simmons. Fletcher nominates him into his band where he has to play with many other musicians. There is already a drummer so Neiman has to practise and get better so he can be part of the band - or as it's called 'core'.

Fletcher is a tyrant. He abuses his students, screams at them, slaps them, flings chairs at them and even makes them play till their fingers bleed... and no, they cannot stop even then. They have to keep pushing till he is satisfied. Sounds excessive, right? But the students push themselves... harder and harder for his approval. 

Neiman does too. He 'earns his part' in the band for the jazz competition but reaches late on the day of competition and realizes he left his drummer's sticks. He rushes to retrieve them, meets with an accident and still plays on stage while he is bleeding and in urgent need of medical care. That's when something snaps. He abuses Fletcher and tries to hit him.
That leads to his sacking from the institute. 
A lawyer approaches Neiman since a past student of Fletcher had committed suicide due to anxiety and depression. The student's parents believe that Fletcher was responsible for the depression and anxiety and want him sacked. Neiman agrees to testify anonymously. Fletcher is sacked from Shaffer.

They come face to face at a bar where Fletcher is playing and he explains his part of the story. That he just pushes his students hard. And that's more than most teachers do. He invites Neiman to play in his band on stage and Neiman agrees.

All good, right? Not really because Fletcher knows Neiman was responsible for his sacking and this was a ploy to get back at him. You see, the audience has reputed members of the music industry and if Neiman screws up his career will be over even before it begins. And of course, Neiman was given the wrong notes of music for the performance.

But all is not lost, since our hero decides 'enough is enough' and starts playing music that he knows and the rest of the band has to follow suit. He ends it with a solo which even Fletcher approves of. He plays like he has never played before. 

What happens next? Do Neiman and Fletcher patch up? Does Neiman become the cynosure of the music industry? Does this performance open doors for him? 

It doesn't matter. That's not the point. The point is... he knows he is good... and he proves he is good. 

We all remember teachers who push us to give our best. The ones who say 'I am not happy with this work. I think you can do so much better'. We remember bosses who push us as far as possible in our professional lives. We remember gym trainers who make us do 100 TRX crunches when we believe 50 crunches are as far as we can possibly go. 

We only know what we are capable of when we push ourselves to the extreme limits... and then we discover we can go further... and further... and further.