Whiplash Essay
Topic: Why we should be mindful of how our greatest desires can be manipulated.
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash begins violently, the crashes of the drumset immediately
ripping through our ears as the camera zooms into a young boy with a limitless aspiration to
be great. Andrew Niemann is practicing the drums in a room at Shaffer Conservatory. But
this just isn’t any room. Niemann has an eye for the Studio Band, the best jazz ensemble at
Shaffer, and the entire country, as well as the conductor of the band, a man named Terrence
Fletcher, who we soon will find that is more than seems on the outside. Niemann practices
in this room daily, hoping that one day, Fletcher will notice him, and eventually, Fletcher
does. Acting unimpressed, Fletcher leaves the room after just a few seconds. It seems like
Fletcher has no plans for Niemann – but in actuality, this is his first move in manipulating the
future of the young and naïve Niemann.
The first attempts at manipulation from Fletcher happened before and during his first
rehearsal with the studio band. Picture yourself in Andrew Niemann’s shoes: It’s your first
day in a new environment, and you get told to be there by 6am. You wake up late; time is
ticking: You overslept. You run to try and not be late, and open the door – only to find out
that no-one is actually there. You’ve been mislead – you were supposed to be there at 9am,
not 6. Although minor compared to Fletcher’s other attempts to manipulate, this first move
certainly sets the foundation for Niemann to be manipulated easier – he may be, in his mind,
be questioning what he heard, or be outright confused. Later, when Fletcher talks to Andrew
before he plays in the second half of the rehearsal, we find him gently comforting Niemann,
telling him to just do his best and have fun. But soon, he turns into a sadistic monster who
uses the information he gathered from Niemann when he was acting nice to abuse and
make fun of him in a emotional and cruel manner. At the end of the scene, we hear Fletcher
simply remark; “Start practicing harder, Niemann,” using his inner insecurities to provoke
Andrew Niemann’s desire to be the best.
Throughout the rest of the film, we see Niemann get emotionally thrown up and down by
Fletcher. One moment, he’s the new core drummer, the next, he’s been replaced by the
drummer he knows from one of the lower bands. Fletcher does not just do this on accident
– it’s all intentional. Fletcher makes Niemann forcefully trade his mental health, sanity and
rationality for skill in the drumset, all to make him one of the Jazz greats. The toll this takes
eventually leads to Niemann breaking emotionally, attacking Fletcher, after rushing to reach
the Concert Hall after breaking his hand in a car accident. Fletcher has gone too far –
Niemann quits drumming, his lifelong passion, and goes on to do other things that to him,
are likely menial.
Fletcher’s manipulation doesn’t just end there though. A few months after Niemann got
expelled from Shaffer, he happens to come across Fletcher, who “opens up” to him about his
teaching method and why he did what he did – all that abuse to his students. But this was
just a final ploy to get revenge on Niemann for testifying against him – one last attempt to
embarrass him onstage. And Niemann does get humiliated – but afterwards, he drums one
of the best solos the world has seen. Fletcher finally has his Charlie Parker – at the cost of
Andrew Niemann’s mental health, his relationships, and his life.
Fletcher saw the burning passion within Niemann. From the start of the movie, when
Niemann was admiring Studio Band, to just before Niemann testified against him. As an
aspiring Jazz great, Niemann was blinded by the path to greatness Fletcher set for him. Using
the deep desire within him, Fletcher masterfully uses his “roller-coaster” tactics to
constantly push Andrew Niemann toward his great desire – and to use his health to get to it.
Niemann is like a rocket – they go up at the expense of fuel, the fuel in this case being
Niemann’s health. While Fletcher’s tactics may work, it is important to strike a key balance –
as a wise person once said; “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.” The
director of Whiplash himself remarked that Andrew Niemann would likely go onto live to a
very young age, dying an early death due to the side effects of Fletcher’s abuse. But it is
certainly possible, and important to us, to strike a balance. We must constantly elevate both
our health and goals – otherwise, someone may come and do it for us, at the cost of our
wellbeing.