On October 10, 2014, the movie industry was shaken. With the release of Whiplash, movies changed a lot. Whiplash pushed boundaries, especially as the MCU started to gain traction, movies seemed to be going downhill. All movies that were enjoyed at this time were PG-13 action movies.
During this dead time in movies, director Damien Chazelle made a rated R movie about personal problems masked behind a jazz band drummer. When it comes to art direction and camera work, this movie is in a league of its own.
The direction isn’t the only good thing. J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller are the perfect protagonists and antagonists. This movie follows Miles Teller’s character, Andrew Neiman, with the antagonist played by J.K. Simmons, Terence Fletcher.
In the first act of the movie, we get introduced to the characters in the perfect way. We see a long hallway with just the sound of someone playing the drums. Miles Teller slowly becomes more prominent in the frame as the camera gets closer.
Andrew is playing the drums and working on a very specific technique. Fletcher walks in and tells Andrew that he made it into the studio band before telling him an early time for him to get there. Just in the opening scene, we get to see how Fletcher is. He is genuinely abusive to Andrew.
Andrew wakes up late and rushes to the room before seeing no one is there. Andrew isn’t stopped by the fact everyone isn’t there, it doesn’t phase him. That’s what allows Fletcher to see that Andrew cares about this.
Andrew’s drive to be the best drummer in the world is shown multiple times, but the scene that focuses on that the most is a very famous scene in the first act. This scene is where the line is drawn from the 1st act into the 2nd. While drumming, Fletcher hears that Andrew is rushing just a bit.
The difference between his tempo is not noticeable in the regular human’s ear but Fletcher is no regular human. He notices and pushes Andrew to see the difference. As Andrew looks on in confusion at Fletcher, a chair is hurled at his head. The band stops playing and Fletcher starts talking to Andrew.
The focus on drive is where this movie excels. The focus from Andrew is a great example of this self-focus and drive.
Fletcher berates Andrew and belittles him, ultimately causing Andrew to start crying. Fletcher embarrassed him and the next day Andrew returns ready to play. Andrew has a drive to drum for Fletcher, and as a result he acknowledges this and puts Andrew in an elevated position.
The first act wraps up with the lead drummer for Fletcher’s band losing his sheet music so he is not able to play. Andrew knew the songs by heart, so he got the lead. A hidden detail in this scene shows that this was no coincidence.
Fletcher gives Andrew a part in the 3rd act. The papers given to Andrew for “Caravan” are the papers that went missing. This means that Fletcher stole the papers on purpose.
The camera work and small details are another way this movie feels deeper and more personal. As the green and yellows used allow for a color contrast, there is also a character contrast as the yellow tones show turmoil.
Fletcher is the antagonist in this movie but we haven’t seen him do anything to oppose him. The film is from Andrews’s point of view, so at the beginning it’s shown as motivating instead of damaging.
At the end of the 2nd act, on his way to one of the big shows, Andrew forgets his drumsticks. When he gets there, Fletcher is about to give away his part. Andrew drives away and gets into an accident. Bloody, Andrew shows up with his sticks and plays before passing out and getting kicked.
Andrew realizes that Fletcher is bad. After telling the school, he goes on with his everyday life until Fletcher returns. Andrew gets told that they are gonna play songs that don’t get played. In this moment we can see how Andrew changes.
Being embarrassed doesn’t stop him. During a silence in between songs, Andrew starts to play “Caravan”. Fletcher and Andrew have a final 3rd act battle where they are not fighting physically but with song. In the end, Andrew ends up breaking Fletcher down and they team up to play a perfect piece.
This movie is revolutionary due to the progressive nature of the characters. Always growing and making human decisions, they evolve and change. As the audience, we are able to evolve with Andrew himself.
The perfect camera work, direction, lighting, story, and cast lead to this masterpiece to earn itself a 10/10.