Whiplash is an Exhilarating Oscar-Worthy Drum Solo
With his 2014 Best Picture nominee, Damien Chazelle takes a film about music to the next level.
Welcome to Debate Week: Best Picture Losers, a series in which we’ll be looking at some of the best movies that were nominated, but ultimately lost the Oscar race for Best Picture. In this entry, Aurora Amidon discusses Damien Chazelle’s five-time nominated 2014 film, Whiplash.
One of the most important elements of a film is its rhythm. For something like
Spider-Man or
The Avengers, a fast-paced and exciting rhythm is essential in conveying the high-stakes nature of the superhero world. Alternatively, for a work by a meditative director like Andrei Tarkovsky or Béla Tarr, a lethargic rhythm is just as important to the story as the story itself. And in a film about music, rhythm is the component that ultimately tethers the worlds of music and cinema.