Whiplash

United States, 2014

Drama, Music

Synopsis

Andrew, a promising, young music student who specializes in the drums enters a highly competitive conservatory where he clashes with a verbally abusive instructor. Under his ruthless direction, Andrew begins to pursue perfection at any cost—even his humanity.

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Whiplash Directed by Damien Chazelle

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Awards & Festivals

Cannes Film Festival

2014 | Directors' Fortnight

Academy Awards

2015 | 2 nominations including: Best Motion Picture of the Year

2015 | 3 wins including: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Sundance Film Festival

2014 | 2 wins including: Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Dramatic Competition)

Independent Spirit Awards

2015 | 2 wins including: Best Editing

2015 | 2 nominations including: Best Feature

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Cast & Crew

Articles from the Notebook

NYFF 2014. Damian Chazelle’s “Whiplash”

On “The ABC Afterschool Special” and its pertinence to the Sundance favorite drum drama.

Movie Poster of the Week: The Posters of the 52nd New York Film Festival

An annual round-up of posters for films in the Main Slate of the NYFF.

Critics reviews

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It’s a nearly great film, a twisted masterpiece of sorts, about the drive to create art, and a rare film about music that seems to have been made by someone who understands the physical experience of making music: the way players in an ensemble seem to merge with the score, the conductor, and each other when they start to cook.

Matt Zoller Seitz

January 30, 2016

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This dazzling, exhilarating drama from the young American director Damien Chazelle isn’t a story about the roles played by misery and humiliation in forging a great artist. It’s a story about what happens when people believe that’s how great artists must be forged: both the mentors raining down pressure and the pupils whose souls are on the anvil.

Robbie Collin

June 16, 2015

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At his most sympathetic, Fletcher explains himself to Andrew, in what we discover is a most duplicitous moment. So what, if anything, as a mentor, does he stand for? Despite its outstanding performances, the film fails to live up to its own potential in engaging the audience in far more meaningful ways. For a film that places so much attention on Charlie Parker, a man known for taking risks in his art, Whiplash plays it all too regrettably safe.

Cynthia Lucia, Travis Maiuro

February 25, 2015

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What are people saying?

chanandre's rating of the film Whiplash
chanandre

Best mouthed 'fuck you' in film history, period. Guy was a winner's winner. Course he'd never been able to pull off that sprint to the gig, but for the sake of humiliating the bald douche, it made 'sense' & it was orgasmic. Dude could Really play. If I loved drummers before, now I kinda worship'em. Great movie. Deserved the hype. (Also: i could tell that the girl had found a new BF just from the tone of her voice :P)
February 05, 2019 19:23
- 10
- 0
Daniel S.'s rating of the film Whiplash
Daniel S.

Damien Chazelle is not interested in losers. Those who fail are quickly forgotten and join the multitude of normal people (I'm afraid I'm part of this crowd). So the Genius is a solitary man who sacrifices everything to achieve his goal. No problem with me as long as we stay in the artistic domain. But it's another story if one applies the same philosophy in politics for instance. Think about it! Highly recommended.
January 24, 2019 18:06
- 12
- 0
Addy K.'s rating of the film Whiplash
Addy K.

What does it take to be great? Blood, sweat, tears? Well, how about sadomasochism and anti-social behavior? This may be the underlying message of WHIPLASH: part-cartoon, part-horror film and the rest a eulogy to total artistic surrender. That last point, according to writer/director Damien Chazelle, is the hairline difference between 'Starbucks' artists and real artists. Also: wanna be Charlie Parker? Forget girls.
January 24, 2019 17:56
- 8
- 0
Huey McEvoy's rating of the film Whiplash
Huey McEvoy

Acting-wise, it's up there with cinema's great head-to-headers (e.g. 'Sleuth'). But there's also a supreme confidence to the directing: the opening scene sets up the characters perfectly, with no fussy preamble, while those countless macro cutaways give it a kinetic energy to rival early Aronofsky or Boyle. There's also a pleasing ambiguity to Fletcher's actions, exemplified by the controversial ending.
January 24, 2019 17:55
- 6
- 0
Mathieu Verbeeck's rating of the film Whiplash
Mathieu Verbeeck

An intense masterpiece - one of the best films I have seen in a long time - J.K. Simmons' performance is mesmerizing!
January 13, 2015 18:14
- 5
- 0
Chichago_'s rating of the film Whiplash
Chichago_

First of all, the music is superb. Second, this is a great film about hard work and how to not give up on something that you really want. Sometimes, you need someone like Fletcher to push you to exceed your own potential.
January 24, 2019 17:54
- 6
- 0
Joe Bowman's rating of the film Whiplash
Joe Bowman

Good thing Chazelle doesn't let the niceties of classical music get in the way of this hard truth: can you really achieve peak machismo bullshit if your screaming circle jerk doesn't come with a lot of blood and even a horrific car crash for good measure? You're sorely mistaken if you happen to think the film is critiquing or even questioning these two assholes' behavior... it worships them.
February 20, 2019 11:18
- 1
- 0
Eleanor Abernathy's rating of the film Whiplash
Eleanor Abernathy

musical equivalent of the first half of full metal jacket. a tension that never stops. my biggest issue with the movie was the homophobic-laced language which, honestly, we don't need anymore to make a point.
September 14, 2015 03:14
- 0
- 0