Whiplash is a 2014 American psychological drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, and starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, and Melissa Benoist. The story follows ambitious jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Teller), who is pushed …
Whiplash is a 2014 American psychological drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, and starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, and Melissa Benoist. The story follows ambitious jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Teller), who is pushed to his limit by his abusive and ruthlessly strict bandleader (Simmons) at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory.
After Chazelle completed the script of Whiplash, Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions helped him turn 15 pages of the script into an 18-minute short film, also titled Whiplash. The short film received acclaim after debuting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which attracted investors to produce the complete version of the script.
Whiplash premiered in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2014, as the festival's opening film; it won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for drama.[3] Sony Pictures acquired the worldwide distribution rights, releasing the film under its Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films banners for its North American and international releases respectively.[4] The film opened in limited release domestically in the United States and Canada on October 10, 2014, gradually expanding to over 500 screens and finally closing on March 26, 2015. The film grossed $49 million on a production budget of $3.3 million.
The film received critical acclaim with praise for its screenplay, direction, film editing, sound mixing, and Teller and Simmons' performances. Whiplash received multiple awards and nominations, winning Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, and also being nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Simmons' portrayal of Fletcher won him the Academy, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for Best Supporting Actor.
Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is an ambitious young jazz drummer, in pursuit of rising to the top of his elite music conservatory. Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an instructor known for his terrifying teaching methods, discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into the top jazz ensemble, forever changing the young man's life. But Andrew's passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher pushes him to the brink of his ability and his sanity.
