Whiplash
2014
*****
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Chris Mulkey
Andrew Neiman is determined to become the best jazz drummer in the world. He hopes to realise his dream in the Shaffer Conservatory under the gruelling and abusive counsel of Terence Fletcher. The young drummer is willing to sacrifice everything else in his life to focus on his goal and his mentor is prepared to push his students beyond their comfort limit. Damien Chazelle's partly autobiographical film is a wonderfully dynamic character drama which plays out like a thriller and makes your foot tap at the same time. Miles Teller showed great promise in The Spectacular Now and he is excellent here. And so is Simmons, who won an Oscar for his ferocious performance. The film won additional Academy Awards for editing and sound mixing.
