Somehow we manage to get the old bedroom carpet from
upstairs out of the room, down the stairs and into the car before taking it to
the tip. Preparations are now complete for the arrival of the new carpet on Wednesday.
In the evening, we head to Broadway for a meal. Which is
harder than it should be because almost everything is off. Then we catch a
film. Whiplash.
Andrew is a dedicated lad with the drive and ambition to
succeed but is that enough? When offered a chance in their top ensemble, Andrew
quickly discovers his conductor and mentor is a man unlike anyone he has
encountered before. Terrence Fletcher’s (J.K. Simmons) teaching style is to
bully, intimidate and humiliate his musicians to make then reach for greater
heights. In the process, he works his students to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. In
particularly Andrew, who he pushes to the limit in order to make him try to attain his
full potential. Fletcher wants to produce the next big thing in jazz, his Charlie
Parker.
At times he plays Andrew off against other drummers until he
becomes so desperate to be the band's preferred choice that he practices for
hours, dripping blood (literally), sweat and tears over his own drum kit. In
the process he shuts out his personal life and starts copying some of
Fletcher's own less desirable traits.
The two of them go head to head through the entire film and
they are essentially the only characters in the film. There are a few other
minor characters, to remind us what normal unobsessed people look and act like.
We meet his father and some of his family, who he upsets with his blind
ambition.
Also at the start of the film we see Andrew chat up Nicole (Melissa
Benoist), a girl who works in the local fast food joint he frequents. She
becomes his girlfriend, sort of. ‘Sort of’ because he never really has time for
her and then when he realises he can’t even spare five minutes for her if he wants
to get in the band, he rather crudely dumps her.
By the time he finds out he needs to rebuild some bridges in
his personal life, it’s too late and she has found someone else.
The film is good and the two leads are very good particularly
Simmons who is a total unlikeable force of nature.
This may be a film about drumming but it could have focussed
on many things. Greatness doesn't come easily whatever your field of dreams. Hard
work and self-sacrifice are always part of the game. Any top coach will always try
to push you to the limits. Whether Terence Fletcher’s way is the best is the debate.
Well worth seeing. Film of the year so far.
(Sunday 25th January)
(Sunday 25th January)
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