BY SERA ULUSOY (MAN/IV) sera.ulusoy@ug.bilkent.edu.tr

An unbelievably exhilarating and equally disturbing atmosphere, brilliant actors cast as the main characters, brilliant directing, and powerful and beautiful music that is somehow always in the background…

Of course I am referring to the movie “Whiplash,” which has happened to place itself among my top 10 favorite films. Now admittedly, I was sort of programmed to enjoy the movie. What do I mean by that? Well, truth be told, I happen to have developed a crush on Miles Teller. This doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that he is a brilliant actor—let’s face it, he certainly is a very talented actor, but he hadn’t starred in particularly awe-inspiringly good movies prior to “Whiplash.” He had a role in a “kind of indie” movie, “The Spectacular Now” (which started out being somewhat enjoyable but turned out to have a relatively unsatisfying ending), opposite Shailene Woodley—another young actor who has shown us that it is now her time to shine. He also played the goofy yet lovable Willard in the remake of “Footloose,” and in “Divergent,” the annoying Peter (who turned out to be a fine fellow in the end). But more frighteningly, he had a part—a huge part—in the movie “Project X.” “What is so frightening about that?” you may ask, to which I will reply, “Go see the movie.” And no, it is not a horror film.

I in fact have developed a crush on Teller for a couple of reasons: alongside his very charismatic looks, he is an NYU graduate, plus he knows jazz, loves jazz and played the drums himself throughout the movie. Not a rumor, dear readers; not a rumor. Did you know that he was a saxophone player and an amateur drummer long before he became an actor? Why, yes, he was indeed. And, having learned that he had gotten the part in “Whiplash,” he began practicing the drums for six or more hours a day to make sure that he pulled it off—which apparently paid off for him.

And as for J. K. Simmons as “the good, the bad, and the ugly” character,  “ugly” here does not refer to Simmons’ exterior, because he is a beautiful man, but rather to how internally ugly his character is in the movie. Terence Fletcher is an emotional terrorist who takes pride in knowing that the misery he causes somehow enables his students to become accomplished musicians one day, although, as he notes at one point in the movie, he has not had Jo Jones’s luck in finding a Charlie Parker.

An interesting fact: the movie is almost entirely based on director Damien Chazelle’s teenage years. Chazelle, whose movies I hope we’ll be seeing more of among the Oscar nominees in the future, originally intended to be a musician himself. Hence, he joined a jazz ensemble similar to the one we see in the movie, only his was a high school jazz band in which he was the drummer, the same as Neiman (Teller’s character in the movie). The character of Fletcher was based on his band director/teacher, who passed away prior to the film’s release, if I recall correctly. In fact, Chazelle was somewhat hesitant at first to have people around him read the script, because he felt that it was rather personal. He had realized, partly thanks to having such a demanding teacher, that he was never going to be a successful drummer and so instead pursued his passion for film directing, which led him to Harvard. His decision to take up directing turned out to be a great thing for us, the audience, since it has given us the chance to see this masterpiece.

Another interesting fact: “Whiplash” was originally created as a short film, in which J. K. Simmons also starred as Fletcher, but with another actor cast as Neiman. After the producers were convinced of its potential for success, the movie was reworked to become the feature-length film we now know. Chazelle asked Simmons to portray the Fletcher character to appear as “inhumane” as he could in order to ensure that the film was as close to the “reality” as possible. The result was an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Above all, though, Chazelle’s directing certainly makes the movie even more brilliant, disturbing and enticing. I felt so comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time while Teller, as Neiman, was onstage at Carnegie Hall, playing his heart out to make sure that he delivered the best version of “Caravan” anyone had ever heard. I was watching this with my parents and brother at home, and there were honestly some moments when everyone and every appliance in the room went so silent that you could hear others’ hearts—not just your own—pounding, as all eyes and minds focused on Neiman trying to perfect his drumming. I felt as though he was up on that stage taking vengeance on everyone who had created obstacles in his way by proving himself to be the best American drummer of his generation. I felt very nervous and stressed out, despite knowing that it was just a movie. But this is how realistic Teller, Simmons and Chazelle have made the film.

“No matter how you walk away from this film,” writes a movie critic in an online review site, “I think it would be hard to debate its greatness as I could watch it over and over again, and my heart is beating faster just thinking about it.” He must have read my mind.