On Intensity in Whiplash

Eight films are up for the coveted Best Picture Oscar this February. It is moot to say that the nominations do not reflect the best of cinema, but winning one means something. That cannot be denied.

Of the eight films, four are incredibly worthy, bait for Oscar votes. The remaining four, for which the odds of winning must be unlikely, are inventive, captivating and challenging. Of these four, three made it into the 2014 top ten; the fourth only released in the UK in January is Whiplash and will feature in 2015’s list.

Whiplash throws us behind the scenes of an industry few of us will see. The phenomenonally competitive world of New York City jazz and the young musicians fighting for places to play with and for the best. Not unlike Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010), which took us behind the scenes of ballet, Whiplash is an intense experience. Damien Chazelle’s smart script is slick and fast along with his camera that roams close and editing that matches the measured intensity. All of this contributes to Whiplash’s power.

In Miles Teller Chazelle seemingly found an actor capable of what the script required emotionally and with the necessary skill set. With J.K. Simmons he turned the established actor into a mix of Sergeant Hartman and John Keating; Simmons’s best performance since 2007’s Juno. Whiplash feels like a film that you stumbled upon without knowing what to expect and ended up hooked. It feels like a film that belongs in New York City. It feels like a film from a better time, cinematically that is now out of place.

Experience Whiplash, and then do it again.