Few films this year will match the sheer intensity present in director Damien Chazelle’s second feature, “Whiplash." It's fusion of thunderous jazz arrangements, a warped mentor/apprentice dynamic with J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller and on-point editing by Tom Cross that leaves a lasting impression—one that's fully sustained over the year since its Sundance premiere in January. At the festival, we called it “full of bravado and swagger, uncompromising where it needs to be, informed by great performances and patient with both its characters and the things that matter to them.”
The subject matter—artistic pursuit in the world of jazz drumming—meant an incredible amount to Chazelle, namely because it refused to release from his psyche. The director drew upon his high school jazz band experiences for the anxiety-ridden journey that Teller’s drummer character Andrew faces, going up against Simmons’ Dr. Fletcher, the abusive, demanding leader of an NYC...
