English Essay

Whiplash

Name: Andrs Carrasco Faras

Class: 4MA
Teacher: Lorena Gonzlez Monroy
Date: June 25th, 2016
 ARGUMENT
Andrew Neiman is a 19 year old drummer, who dreams of greatness but doubts if
his dream will come true sometime. Overwhelmed by the failed career as a writer of
his father, Andrew is determined to reach the top in the country's most prestigious
music conservatory. One night, Terence Fletcher, a conductor known for his
teaching talent as well as its terrifying method of instruction, discovers Andrew
practicing the battery. Fletcher tells him very little that night but wakes up in Andrew
a passion to achieve his goal. To the surprise of Andrew, the next day, Fletcher
requests to transfer him to his band. This will change the life of Andrew forever.

At first, Andrew is a mere substitute, which simply turn the pages of the score of the
main drummer. However, in the next competition of the band, in a moment of pure
chance or sabotage, the main drummer is misplaced. As Andrew has memorized the
score Fletcher gives him the opportunity to play. Although this fact away more peers,
the band at the end wins the competition, and it seems that Andrew will become the
new "favorite son" of Fletcher.

Encouraged by the acceptance of the

director, Andrew gathers the courage
to ask her out to Nicole, the cashier at
the cinema in his neighborhood which
was silently in love. However, at that
meeting the concerns of Andrew for
music threaten to ruin even its most
authentic romantic advances.

Andrew obsessive effort by touching

perfection will be encouraged by the
psychological brinkmanship Fletcher. Andrew's family can hardly recognize
obsessed with the petrified face that guy lives. Even for the father of Andrew, a man
with a very gentle character, it is difficult to recognize his son.

The more it approaches perfection, becomes narrower circle of close friends of

Andrew, until he is left alone with Fletcher and even this relationship is endangered
by Andrews fierce ambitions.

A journey that can be seen either as a

descent into madness or a rise to greatness
reaches its climax on the biggest stage
where display the talent of Andrew -the
impressive Carnegie Hall.
 ANALYSIS

Im a guitarist, not a drummer like Andrew in the movie, but I know how hard is to
improve in an instrument; the effort, the constancy, the time spent, are aspects that
people has to consider if they want to be better as musicians.
This is one of my favorite movies, because it shows the problems of people obsessed
with musical perfection, in a very deep psychological way both the student and the
professor.
Never before have I experienced a finale so intense and jaw dropping until I watched
Whiplash. Im going to describe what I did during the finale, my eyes were wide open,
my jaw dropped and for fifteen minutes; I forgot to blink.
I also love this movie for the musical arrangements of the soundtrack; the jazz songs
are very well suited for this film.
I find this movie significative not because I feel identified the protagonist, no, but
because I have seen some people in this situation with teachers as insane as
Fletcher in the film, and so stressed out that confound the life with a part of it.
In my case it is one of my main passions the music. For me it is a joy to listen to
music, play my main instrument, the guitar, and other instruments that I know how
to play, to see musical videos, etc. I dont feel any stress when I play music and no
one tells me how I have to play. From that point of view I dont get identified with the
protagonist in the movie, a guy that is literally obsessed with the idea of achieving
perfection and doesnt enjoy music.
I highly recommend Whiplash to anyone who loves to see a film about music and
the struggles of becoming great at it. With J.K. Simmons role as Fletcher and Miles
Teller as Andrew, this film packs beautiful acting, sound mixing, and dramatic and
emotional scenes that makes it very unforgettable.