Most of the films dealing with the topic of mentoring show a motivational teacher and a talented pupil. The movie Whiplash directed by Damien Chazelle is an excellent example of how the genre could be turned inside out. In fact, the film shows the story of an insane struggle for perfection in a music conservatory.
Andrew, a jazz drummer, is the main character of the movie. He has a mentor in the person of Fletcher – an extremely cruel teacher whose methods are based on torture. The acting of Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons is just awesome. You can almost hear the blood, sweat, and fear coming from the screen!
The best thing about Whiplash is that it does not provide any solution at all:
Obsession over Balance: The movie shows that sometimes to reach the heights of perfection in art, one needs to go through some very destructive process.
The Myth of Greatness: The film makes one think about the effectiveness of Fletcher's torturous methods, thus making the viewer confused morally.
The final drum solo is definitely one of the best climaxes in modern movies.
