Whiplash
classified 15Please note: This was screened in Feb 2015
This intense, exhilarating drama about the relationship between a musical prodigy and his teacher will leave you breathless. Andrew (Miles Teller) is a supremely talented young jazz drummer who is cherry picked for a place in his elite New York school’s top ensemble. He’s picked by Fletcher (an incredible, note-perfect JK Simmons), a fierce instructor who wanders the halls at night, listening out for prospective young Charlie Parkers (who famously went from good to great after a traumatic incident induced him to sacrifice a year to intensive practice) he can hammer into brilliance. For Fletcher, toughness, manliness and perfection are indivisible, and he rules his students with a clenched fists. When Andrew joins his band, the stakes are dramatically raised, and Fletcher begins to push him beyond the limits of both his ability, and his sanity. What could have oh so easily turned into just another coming of age saga becomes something altogether more superior as both characters confront the elusive concept of perfection. You don’t have to be a jazz fan for Whiplash to zap you with its thrumming beat – this is audaciously entertaining.
Ticket prices: Screenings before 16:00: £5.50 full / £4.00 concessions. Screenings after 16:00: £8.00 full / £6.50 concessions.