Movie Review: Blood, Sweat, and Cymbals: A deep look into Whiplash (2014)

By: Benjamin L., 9th grade

Blood, Sweat, and Cymbals

In arguably the most tense psychological thriller I’ve ever watched, Damien Chazzele’s Whiplash keeps the viewer’s eyes glued to the screen with his unique screenplay, sweat-breaking interactions between characters, and electrifying musical performances. 

The story is centered around Andrew Neiman, an aspiring drummer at one of the most rigorous music academies in the world—Shaffer Conservatory. His ambition to become the greatest drummer of all time is unmatched, as the film begins with a long shot of our protagonist drumming tirelessly in the dead of night. Andrew soon meets Terrence Fletcher, head maestro at the conservatory. Fletcher—impressed by his drumming—invites Andrew to join his elite studio band. Initially, this feels like a dream come true, but it soon turns out to be quite the opposite.

A scene of a tense conservatory rehearsal truly stuck with me long after the credits rolled. During the rehearsal, a seemingly routine rehearsal quickly spirals into a psychological battle. The band runs through the piece Whiplash, with Andrew on the drums. All is smooth at first, until Fletcher begins to stop the band repeatedly, insisting that Andrew is off-tempo. His criticism begins eerily calm as he famously corrects Andrew, commenting “Not quite my tempo”. Nobody in the band moves an inch, as they all anticipate the explosion of rage coming. Fletcher turns around as if to ponder, and without notice, he hurls a chair directly at Andrew’s head. What follows is a full-out emotional assault as Fletcher abuses his student mentally and physically. Andrew tries hard to hold back the river but a tear comes out, and Fletcher exclaims, “Oh my dear God... Are you one of those single-tear people?”. Fletcher has broken many of his students. While this line was merely meant to mock Andrew, it also reveals that Fletcher has seen so many fold under his pressure that he’s identified patterns in their tears, and figures that Andrew is simply one of many—a generalization that Andrew is by no means accepting of. Andrew’s obsession towards proving Fletcher wrong leads him down a dangerous spiral, losing all elements of the life he had once lived. 

Chazelle also went into great detail with the color grading of Whiplash. The film uses a warm orange color palette for a majority of the film to embody the heated intensity of the moment. However, in certain segments, the color grading cools down—using brighter bluish colors to reflect a calmer situation. This palette is implemented in conversations between Andrew and his girlfriend Nicole, where a brighter tone is used to demonstrate feelings of comfort and intimacy. This contrast of color allows the audience to really feel the differing emotions through the screen.

To conclude, Whiplash exemplifies the fine line between the grind and abuse, and that reaching greatness comes at an extraordinary cost.