Whiplash is one of my favorite movies of all time. I watched it in the early months of sophomore year, on the recommendation of a friend. I was interested in the premise, and to make things better, I’m a big fan of jazz music. Going into the film, I expected something simple: A story about a young musician faced with adversity, who would eventually overcome it by the end of the movie and achieve his dream.
Instead, I embarked on an emotional rollercoaster, and I had no idea how much this film would affect me and change my life. Whiplash is one of the few films that I consider a masterpiece, from its direction to its cinematography to the plot to the characters. However, there is a lesson that looms behind the film, and continues to haunt me to this day: The dangers of obsession. Whiplash is a cautionary tale of some sort, and a damn good one at that.
Instead, I embarked on an emotional rollercoaster, and I had no idea how much this film would affect me and change my life. Whiplash is one of the few films that I consider a masterpiece, from its direction to its cinematography to the plot to the characters. However, there is a lesson that looms behind the film, and continues to haunt me to this day: The dangers of obsession. Whiplash is a cautionary tale of some sort, and a damn good one at that.
For those who have never seen the movie, here is a brief synopsis: Whiplash is the story of a young, aspiring drummer named Andrew, who has high hopes of becoming one of the greats: His entire life had been him practicing to become the best musician that he could be, much to the dismay of his family, with two other football playing cousins. Andrew finally gets a shot to make it big when his talent is recognized by the conductor of the band at Shaffer Conservatory. However, upon his arrival to the conservatory, Andrew is subjected to constant and often violent physical and emotional torment from the conductor. This becomes so severe that he cuts off all of his relationships, literally almost dies in a car accident, and becomes traumatized, all in the pursuit of becoming the best musician he can be and make the conductor recognize him. And the craziest part is–this isn’t the first time the conductor has done this. He previously drove a student to suicide.
Whiplash, with all of its amazing artistic style and acting and thought provoking characters, is what happens when one goes too far in the pursuit of their dreams. Instead of giving up and conforming to the basic notion that he would be forgotten if he didn’t make a name for himself, Andrew gave his everything for recognition. The question is, at what point does someone go TOO far in the pursuit of their goals? And was Fletcher (the conductor, played marvelously by JK Simmons) in the right?
This may be controversial, but Terence Fletcher did have a point. Throughout all of his verbal abuse and physical torment, there was an underlying pursuit for crafting the perfect embodiment of music through a student, with no regard of how far he pushed them mentally. He went about it wrong, but it all served to exemplify this point: If you want to be great, you NEED somebody who can push you. Not in the sense of a rival or a guide.
Fletcher’s entire ideology revolves around the notion that being secondary, or purely average, wasn’t good, and was an insult to one’s potential and character. In a way, I can agree with this. Throughout the film, Fletcher constantly references the historical moment in which Charlie Parker, the famous saxophone player, got a chair thrown at his head for not playing well enough. This event symbolized the turn in Parker’s career: from that moment onward, he became something great. Now, Charlie Parker could have conformed and given up, but he pushed himself. Without that chair being thrown at him, we would probably not remember him. Likewise, if Andrew had become lazy and was never pushed, constantly being praised for mediocrity, he would not have grown.
Fletcher’s entire ideology revolves around the notion that being secondary, or purely average, wasn’t good, and was an insult to one’s potential and character. In a way, I can agree with this. Throughout the film, Fletcher constantly references the historical moment in which Charlie Parker, the famous saxophone player, got a chair thrown at his head for not playing well enough. This event symbolized the turn in Parker’s career: from that moment onward, he became something great. Now, Charlie Parker could have conformed and given up, but he pushed himself. Without that chair being thrown at him, we would probably not remember him. Likewise, if Andrew had become lazy and was never pushed, constantly being praised for mediocrity, he would not have grown.
In absolutely no way am I condoning Fletcher’s actions: he’s a literal psychopath. But the mindset was valid. Andrew lost everything because he was so obsessed with pursuing his dream–just for one moment of acceptance in the end. He was overcome with obsession, humiliated, beaten, broken down both physically and mentally, just for a smile of approval from Fletcher, who had tried to sabotage him for speaking out against him. The message that I received from all of this was to never let the indomitable human spirit escape. In one respect, the film is quite unrealistic: You don’t necessarily have to cut off everything and everyone you love to be great. You just need someone to push you past what society expects of you. Participation trophies do not do any good. They teach you how to live in mediocrity, but people can also elevate you to do better. Maybe THOSE are the pushes people need.
Of course, this mindset doesn’t apply to everyone unless you’re truly passionate about your field. Just, whatever you do, DO NOT GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU ALMOST DIE JUST TO BE THE BEST (unless you really want to make a name for yourself in history). Whiplash, in all, is a 10/10 movie that I believe everyone should watch at least once in their life.
Of course, this mindset doesn’t apply to everyone unless you’re truly passionate about your field. Just, whatever you do, DO NOT GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU ALMOST DIE JUST TO BE THE BEST (unless you really want to make a name for yourself in history). Whiplash, in all, is a 10/10 movie that I believe everyone should watch at least once in their life.
Chase Jones
