'Whiplash's' final scene is dissected by Damien Chazelle, Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Tom Cross, Justin Hurwitz and Sharon Meir. The ending is just life. Extremely cutting and acerbic. I just watched Whiplash for the first time yesterday, and I loved almost every aspect of it. Andrew broke up with Nicole, who is now dating someone else, his relationship with his family begins to deteriorate, he seems to have made every sacrifice that he deemed necessary to be great, and he is great. Mostly because of the conversation at the dinner table in which Andrew's dad makes the comment about dying drugged out at 40 (I can't remember the exact line, it's been a few months since I've seen it). Fletcher comes to this realization mid-performance and stops trying to sabotage him and starts trying to guide him through. Unquestionably, Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014) is J.K. Simmons’ and Miles Teller’s film. Instead, at the end of it, we realize Andrew is happier about Fletcher's approval than about his own achievement. An embittered genius jazz band conductor for an elite New York school emotionally and physically abuses and gaslights the mostly young men in his band, constantly. I've always saw his dad's reaction in the end as more "oh my God, I've lost my son" and not "he's amazing". Well they both win really. This is the way I felt. True Detective 3. We know the kid is a hell of a drummer and he knows he's good too, it's JK Simmons who says otherwise so we (the audience along for the ride) take his abuse on the chance he might reward us with a pat on the head but he probably never will because there are no two words in the English language more harmful than "good job. I think the clear theme is to explore whether it is worth it or not, rather than whether it was awful or not, at least that is what I took from it. That's a daring choice from young director and writer Damien Chazelle, because Andrew, a student drummer, has been subjected to elite jazz … Here's how I interpreted the final scene in a piece I wrote shortly after the movie hit theaters: In Whiplash's final scene, Fletcher looks into Andrew's eyes and finally, silently, probably fleetingly, acknowledges the young drummer's brilliance. Wes Anderson may border on self-parody sometimes, but that movie was a masterpiece. ("Whiplash" is the song that Teller's character is playing when he's almost decapitated by a chair thrown at him. The major problem here is that there's A LOT of swearing. no, and that's the point. Orange Is The New Black Little nuances of a scene can hint at the tone of the film. In Whiplash's final scene, Fletcher looks into Andrew's eyes and finally, silently, probably fleetingly, acknowledges the young drummer's brilliance. Reddit LinkedIn ... “Whiplash” was a sensation at Sundance this year. Interstellar, docking scene 3. He's the next Charlie Parker, heroin addiction and death at 35 to come. I know it was you. Charlie Parker, heroin addiction and death at 35 to come. And I find those two facts hard to reconcile with someone for whom "owning" another person is the ultimate goal. SPOILER WARNING. That's what I took away from that. It is. ... Do jazz/classical musicians find “Whiplash” accurate? It's a bit disturbing in that context, revealing quite a sick undercurrent of Fletcher's character. Every cut puts you further and further on the edge of your seat, and especially with the ending, sucks all the air out of your lungs. A son, possessed, by a horrible obsession that will ultimately destroy him. Great ending for these reasons, though, so much to take away no matter how it's interpreted. I love Whiplash, and credit where it's due for the incredible performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons and Damien Chazelle's superb direction, but the real standout here is the editing. I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion really is, but what the scene represents to me is that Fletcher's abusive strategy worked. It was a good ending. Tbh I think it's a decently happy ending, I'll explain why: Andrew in his final scene, after he is utterly embarrassed by Fletcher in front of a live audience, gives his absolute best performance, mouthing a 'fuck you' towards Fletcher. Yeah I agree with your assessment. Andrew realizes that he no longer needs Fletcher, and it's the best feeling ever. The only reason I can't buy into your argument is this: I don't see what Fletcher stands to gain by "owning" Neyman. The film won't even grant you that so you are left wanting. It made me think that I want to write a similar story that has the same effect on me. Whiplash Is a Terrible Movie. Despite the film depicting a car crash I think there's no doubt that the most "violent" looking section, the one that lives up to the title most, is the ending, and that's almost entirely down to the pacing and the cuts. (It's pretty easy to appreciate someone's skill when you … in his own son. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. He thinks he needs Fletcher, and Fletcher wants him, and together they're as destructive and malformed and perfectly matched as Batman and the Joker — enemies who can't live without each other. The best TV show of 2014 is… 1. I would have given it to Grand Budapest that year. As an audience it only takes a moment for us to realize how perverse that is, but Andrew will probably never have that realization — or if he does, it will likely be catastrophic. Whiplash, final scene 2. Great story, great example of Anderson's signature technique, and great acting all around. I loathed the movie Whiplash. If you saw Whiplash, you’ll recall the final scene in which Fletcher deliberately sabotages Andrew’s fledgling career by giving him the wrong music for a concert. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, News & Discussion about Major Motion Pictures, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. The entire premise of Fletcher's doctrine is that enough is never enough. I didn't like Birdman. If you haven’t seen it, I’ll spoil it for you here. Exact scene where we can see Sophie in Whiplash… God damn, it's good. With Andrew he sacrifices his love life, a social life and a healthy relationship with his family. The iconic final scene of Whiplash is actually terribly depressing. Soundtrack Main Songs - The entire soundtrack is composed of Jazz music mainly from Composer Justin Hurwitz, who also composed some of the music for LaLa Land. ", So the last scene of the film, you see what you are hoping is approval on his face. As you say, a big plot point is that Fletcher's overblown methods drove someone to suicide. Okay, I'm somehow about to compare Step Brothers and Whiplash but bear with me: From my perspective, seeing Neiman "come to his senses" felt akin to how Brendan and Dale's parents felt seeing them with their lives together at the Catalina Wine Mixer. This is not a movie to relax to. Passion requires balance, and Fletcher pushes Neiman to his breaking point, clearly abusing him emotionally and physically. Today, writer-director Damien Chazelle explains why the first scene of Whiplash sets up everything you need to know about the relationship between Andrew (Miles … To me the idea of him taking a step back and accepting a normal life seemed sadder than the abuse and torment he was taking in his pursuit of greatness. He wants his affection and he got it. Cinematography Continued - There are many extreme close ups of Andrew's bleeding hands, which shows his dedication and In an earlier scene we see him telling Andrew he pushes his students to exact greatness from them, even providing anecdotes of other great musicians who were pushed hard and turned into greats. TV. Whiplash engages you until the end, his rhythm is constant and the final scene is just perfect. No one can say one way or the other and I think that's the point of the ending. that's a really interesting take, i suppose it all depends on what you define as success from Andrew's standpoint. Centered on a rousing musical performance given by the film’s protagonist Andrew (Miles Teller), the scene … The final scene can then be scene as a relapse into Andrew's harmful, inhumane intensity, which left me feeling very uneasy when the credits began to roll. Introduction. The music was inspiring, the camerawork was incredible, etc., it has all been said before. Andrew commands the band to play along to HIS tempo. Totally agree this is the whole point of the movie. I don’t think you are suppose to be happy or depressed with the ending. An interesting, and as you said, highly different, interpretation. That escalated quickly. The primary antagonist, bandleader Terence Fletcher, is a demanding, abusive, charismatic and powerful influence on protagonist Andrew Neiman, who seeks to be one of the "greats" of jazz. Andrew is not destined to walk away from Fletcher. Damien Chazelle's 2014 film Whiplash is a tense and psychological drama about the cost of success, and the value of achieving greatness, whatever the individual believes that to be.. I can't find a single flaw in that whole movie. That look of dawning comprehension on Paul Reiser's face, as he looks through the window and sees what his son can do for the first time -- it just gives me chills. People grow through desire for more, to say 'good job' is to stop someone's wish to continue to improve. And they share eye contact right at the end that can only be described as pride, respect, and for Andrew the pure joy and satisfaction of finally pleasing Fletcher. I think the end scene is powerful because the courage it took to go back on stage after that utter humiliation was monumental and he did that for himself not to impress fletcher. Hannibal 2. I think your point is great but what would you think if he never "succeed" in music -he was feeling down and hopeless before that ending- because of the things that Fletcher said to him. Or is that final scene in Whiplash something that film can do better and easier than writing? This is called… And more in likely, he will be dead before 30 either by an overdose or suicide. The final scene shows Fletcher's greatest attempt to humiliate Andrew, when he puts him onstage unprepared to play the song that the rest of the band is playing. In that final scene he sees how great Andrew is- but I think he also begins to see that the destructive nature that consumes great artists has finally awakened (awoken?) Simmons' character is constantly verbally abusing his students calling them names like c**ksuckers and some other offensive insults of wich some of them contains sexual references. Game Of Thrones 5. To me, he didn't lose his hope against all these and turned his talent in music into a passion. Unless you think there's maybe a sexual dynamic I'm not picking up on, I just don't think Fletcher is painted quite as evil as he would have to be to make your conclusion ring true. Although Fletcher comes pretty close in the scene at the jazz club, where he walks about Charlie Parker. He doesn't need the guy anymore. After being suckered by his petty, vengeful, manipulative teacher, Andrew is in the throes of a drum solo to end all drum solos, and Fletcher cannot help but be in awe of his abilities. The beauty of stories of this caliber is that we can come away with such different ideas. Leading up to the grand performance.. the terrifyingly exciting words of Fletcher: "You think I'm fucking stupid? Is that attainable? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, News & Discussion about Major Motion Pictures, Press J to jump to the feed. Or maybe not. His humiliation tactics act as a kind of test, and Andrew fights back by performing exceptionally, in spite of his embarrassment. Bob’s Burgers 6. I see what you mean and i think the scene leads us there at first, but then Fletcher starts supporting him and Andrew follows his lead. I think a running theme that Chazelle uses in all of his movies (Whiplash, La La Land, First Man) is that with greatness, comes sacrifice; you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Looking to watch Whiplash? I just saw the film for the first time tonight, but I thought that his dad's face was of more sadness that his son caved into Fletcher in the end. He's cruel, yes. Business. I saw Whiplash back to back because I was so enthralled with it. The second time around, I realized the truth that Fletcher won, and not in the, "Oh the football coach and the QB won together," way. Yeah, I wouldn't say it was "hidden", it just wasn't explicitly stated by any of the characters. Maybe he takes this as a triumph over Fletcher and walks away, seems to me that would be the ultimate victory... to become the protege he wants and then walk away from him. In Whiplash's final scene, Fletcher looks into Andrew's eyes and finally, silently, probably fleetingly, acknowledges the young drummer's brilliance. There are plenty of unhappy people in the world that dont become addicts or kill themselves. California. It's a movie about obsession and preverse seduction, not a coming of age or coming of greatness story. Even if Andrew was to become the greatest drummer in the world, he would still not be good enough. In Andrew's mind being aproved by Fletcher means he made the best solo there can be. It's satisfying because Andrew's drumming has finally reached a place where it can exist and even flourish in his teacher's absence. But I loved that element of it. The ending of Whiplash offers one of the most electrifying movie moments this year. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The two actors dominate the story and the screen. I think it was showing the two avenues people go, Andrew tries to do the relationship thing because everybody else does but then realises it's not what he want, he wants to be a great drummer who people talk about at diner tables for years to come. Music teachers and students are a weird relationship. Whiplash took only 19 days to shoot, and nearly a full day was dedicated to a scene in Fletcher’s office that was cut from the final movie. Neiman gave in and became Fletcher's puppet. EDIT 05 Sep. 2015: The concept of Beat Per Minutes (BPM) has been mis-understood as mentioned by reddit.What I was supposed to write was Strokes Per Minutes (SPM). Climate & … Fletcher finds the next "Charlie Parker". … Released in 2014, Whiplash focuses on a promising young drummer (Miles Teller) pursuing his dream of greatness. If Andrew decides at the end of this solo that Fletcher's opinion will never mean anything to him ever again, he'll probably go on to be a very successful musician. The move was great. Guardians Of The Galaxy, prison break. Drumming has finally reached a place where it can exist and even flourish in his teacher 's absence said. As enemies who ca n't find a single flaw in that whole movie sunnier outlook on this than... 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