Whiplash is one of those movies, where, the first viewing is not enough, it requires many subsequent viewings, each proving more insight than the previous viewing. At first glance, the movie seems to have straight forward plot. The story revolves around two central characters, an Instructor and his student. It primarily depicts a clash between the two, wherein the Instructor is abusive, insulting, unforgiving and even tries to destroy the career of his student (Quite opposite to an ideal teacher!). However, at the end, after all hardships, the disciple is triumphant.

Initial Impressions

When you watch the movie, the end scene seems glorious, but somehow it isn’t. If you are tracking, for the duration of the movie, the disciple, Andrew, has had quite a tumultuous arc. Whenever Andrew sees something positive happening with him, it’s followed with a greater measure of wrong things inflicted on him. Hence, You wonder whether his moment of triumph depicted at the end is one of those false sunrises and whether it will be followed by something even darker.
My suspicions were right, (I required a second viewing for understanding it!), Andrew at the beginning of the movie has a fairly balanced life, he is quite good at drumming, he is confident, is in a relationship, and enjoys music. When the instructor (Fletcher) comes into his life, Andrew’s life get’s dismantled. Fletcher is diabolical, on the outside he seems a pretty positive and encouraging character, however at his core he is ruthless. For one mistake, he throws out his previous drummer and replaces him with Andrew. Initially, he encourages Andrew, this is the first false dawn, as eventually pushes Andrew and dents his confidence by recruiting another drummer to replace Andrew. This makes Andrew determined to prove his worth to Fletcher. In his determination to impress Fletcher, Andrew practices a lot, and decides to ‘devote’ himself fully to the art, however the price he pays for this, is his relationship.
Here is what I felt Andrew loses a bit of himself. Rather than his life being about himself, and his drumming, Andrew’s life becomes simply about Fletcher, he becomes obsessed about impressing Fletcher. And such isolation, obsession eventually is the road to a breakdown. Again Andrew sees a false ray of hope, when Fletcher recruits him back, it seems his sacrifice has paid off, however, it’s just a temporary pause in the downward spiral. Eventually Fletcher pushes him so much that Andrew gets battered in a car crash, still somehow he manages to reach the venue to play drums, where the uncompromising Fletcher again asks him to stop playing the drums. Andrew finally cracks, he has a breakdown.
While recuperating, Andrew is made aware of another student of Fletcher, who committed suicide. The implication being that Fletcher is one who cause the suicide in the same vein as his uncompromising methods caused Andrew’s car crash. Andrew testifies (anonymously) and gets Fletcher removed from the school
Then we see what is Andrew’s last ray of hope. Andrew still finds his humanity, overcomes his obsession, and starts to lead a ‘normal’ life, working at a restaurant, figuring out which University to go for graduation. Then enters Fletcher again, offers Andrew another chance to play drums at a prestigious festival. In spite of the history, Andrew agrees. Someone other might have refused, however the pull of performance is too much for Andrew to resist, this is an indication that the obsession is still within Andrew.
At the performance, Fletcher dramatically reveals to Andrew that he knows that Andrew was the one who testified, and to exact revenge Fletcher has purposefully given the wrong practice sheet to Andrew. Andrew falters at what is his biggest stage so far, his father fears another breakdown and rushes backstage to comfort him, Fletcher is satisfied that he has exacted his revenge. However, Andrew after a momentary hug from his parent, returns to the stage, and begins performing without any cue, obsessed, he plays till his fingers bleed, and enthralls the audience including Fletcher with his performance, and the movie ends there.

Philosophy of the Characters: Who is the driver here?

Fletcher is quite an uncompromising character, ruthless, unforgiving and at times totally discouraging, completely defying the standard template set for a teacher. He is himself obsessed, he wants to find the next genius, he is not satisfied with good, better, he wants great. In this quest he has complete disregard for his pupils, their emotions, their well being. The examples he gives are quite telling, “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job’.”, He is a staunch believer that adversity brings out best in a person, and if he cannot handle adversity then there is no purpose for him. Talent for his needs to justified to the fullest, not half way with a good performance, but fully with a memorable performance, and it is worth sacrificing everything for it.
And if you look around there are such teachers around us, we call them ‘tough’ teachers. Innately, we also value them. “That teacher is so strict, that everyone does their homework”.
We say we want teachers who can inspire us, however what we want is teachers who can deliver, whether is that score in Tenth Grade, or that Top Rank in that entrance exam, A teacher who can deliver it is valued.
Even though on screen the abuse that Fletcher hurls seems excessive, however, in real life, that kind of pious works, and is in fact valued. Come on, in a society where success is valued and competition has become a way of life, that push, that adversity, those excesses are valued, if it can deliver success.
Just look around, be it that tough teacher, that bossy boss, that entrance exam coach, that athletic coach, you will find traits of Fletcher in them. Once you realize that on screen you are despising Fletcher, the shocking thing is that you know that kind of person is there everywhere, and is valued, for that amazing quarter of sales, for that winning performance in a match, for those top rankers in a competitive exam, they deliver!
Somehow it seems they bring out the good in you, propel you to achieve the best, however all of it (in my opinion) is superficial, ultimately they bring out the worst in you.
I have first-hand experience of this, Back when I was a regular player at my football club, I had a pushy coach. In one match, there is was this opposition player who was just getting the better of me every time, and halfway my coach had enough, and from the sidelines, he started shouting, practically calling me a “sissy” for not engaging the player well, he was just shouting, “Get him, get in his face, show him who you are….”. Now all of this after I had slight pain in my leg, and before match I had told him that there seems something wrong with my leg, and I should rest, and again there also he had pushed me to be on the pitch. Finally, all that shouting got to me, and I chased down that player somehow generating pace, however typical of this situation he had much more pace than me, I felt a slight pain in my leg, and I realized that no way I am catching him, and I did what I needed to do, I just ran into him, fouled him, it was one of those straight red card challenges. The player went flying off on the ground, rolled on the ground, and was badly bruised all over. To his credit, he accepted my apology post match in all that pain, however, I realized it was a tackle I should have not made. Why? Because it was no world cup!, it was an inconsequential match between two clubs, where the outcome did not matter, yet at that moment it mattered.
The reason it matters, is because we pigeon hole ourselves into a small dimension and loose track of the big picture. In the movie, Andrew is the one who chooses to be in that position, Andrew is chasing greatness, and Andrew is the one who allows Fletcher to become such an important part of his life, that he is willing to sacrifice everything for Fletcher. Fletcher never boxed Andrew into doing something, it was Andrew who even after sustaining abuse wanted to work under Fletcher, and wanted to impress him.
The most revealing dialog about Andrew is at a dinner table conversation with his family. They talk about, Charlie Parker, a famous musician, who died drunk, under heroin addiction, aged just 34. The family feels Charlie’s life is not a good life to aspire to, according to them Charlie Parker is not a benchmark of success in life , but Andrew replies,” I’d rather die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a dinner table talk about me than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody remembered who I was”
In a way, Andrew is driven, he is ready to sacrifice everything, his life, his relationship, everything, for that performance and recognition he his chasing. The love of drumming also takes a back seat in his obsession, he literally puts his blood into his pursuit. Even when he gets a chance to have relook at his life and sort out his priorities,,,one chance and Andrew is back to where he was.

So who is at fault here, Andrew or Fletcher?.

I did an online search for Whilash, and got many insightful hits, the most insightful was a video, it asked : “What happens at the after the end of Whiplash?” and the answer is Andrew dies at the age of 34, with a drug overdose, become famous, and accomplishing his place amongst the great musicians.
Why so sad, because obsession has no limits. Andrew is not satisfied in being a good drummer in local band, he wants to a drummer at Fletcher’s prestigious school, he is then obsessed about being Fletcher’s lead drummer, then he is obsessed about delivering that memorable performance at a prestigious venue, then he will become obsessed about getting an award, then world stage….. basically the obsession will drive him more and more crazy, and will this stop….. NO!….. Why? because in the movie itself it did not stop, Andrew got a reality check on the downside of his obsession, he is himself hurt, he hears of another kid who is driven to suicide, yet Andrew makes a choice, to pursue it again….

Or Maybe Andrew is right, it is worth sacrificing everything !

Interestingly, years back I designed a reading comprehension test question based on Whiplash, it is available here…..