Whiplash (2014 film)

The question posited with the ending of “Whiplash”, without getting into spoilers, can threaten to overwhelm discussions of the rest of the film, so let’s cast aside that can of worms. Several musicians obsessed with cinema claim its imperfections are impossible to ignore, but for someone like me, the ruminations on abuse register harder than some minor cut corners mostly due to Teller continuing his upward trajectory towards the A-list and Simmons turning in what may be the best performance of his career. “Whiplash” is as haunting as it is beautiful, doing for drummers what “Black Swan” did for ballet.

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