Hitting all the right notes

Ervell E. Menezes

Hollywood has come up with many teacher-student movies like To Sir With Love and Dead Poet’s Society to name just two. But Whiplash is a one-to-one intense battle between, tough, abusive conductor Terence Fletcher (JK Simmons) and fresher drummer Andrew Newman (Miles Teller).

We are at New York’s prestigious Shaffer Conservatory Music School and Fletcher, a hard taskmaster, is teaching Princeton High School’s Studio Band. Director Damien Chazelle’s establishing shots are effective and cinematographer Sharone Meir dwells upon the drummers from various angles, even aerial. Eighty per cent of the action is indoors and when the camera moves outdoors the relief is indeed welcome.

The only time Fletcher shows emotion when telling the class how his protégé Sean Casey died in a car accident. Later, we learn that Casey committed suicide by hanging due to anxiety and depression. Casey’s parents feel Fletcher is the cause of it. They ask Newman to testify, and he agrees. Fletcher is fired.

But there is more. After a while the master and pupil meet for a drink where Fletcher offers Newman to play in his new band and he surprisingly agrees. Fletcher comes to know and wants to get even. So, he gives Newman the wrong sheet.

Momentarily stuck, Newman plays “Caravan” and surprisingly the band follows him. Even his bete noire. The show ends with an extensive and audacious drum solo.

JK Simmons is absolutely brilliant as the maniacal Fletcher and is a front-runner for the Best Supporting Actor at Oscars next week. Rarely has one seen such a powerful character. Teller stretches himself to the hilt. Melissa Benoist is pretty as a picture but the others are merely academic.