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I've been reconsidering Whiplash over the past 24 hours in terms of audience reaction to the teacher/student relationship. There seems to be equal amounts love and hate for this film based on "the price paid" for excellence in performance. If it helps, revisiting Faust guides us.
Faust is one of the oldest tales in western culture. Being unsatisfied with the mediocrity of mere existence Faust sells his soul to the devil for enlightenment. This trope permeates most of our narratives including Robert Johnson giving his soul at the crossroads to play guitar.
There is always a love interest, a girl throughout these narratives. Often named Gretchen she is the possible salvation of Faust that he ultimately rejects in order to save her own soul. I saw this dynamic in Whiplash with our protagonists rejection of what could have been.
https://twitter.com/coenesqued/status/1345603983079997441
I've worked with personalities in JK Simmons character's vein though not to such a hyper textualized degree. Film is about tweaking reality to emphasize a certain feeling, mood or emotion. Take the Red/Green motif throughout the film and the shirts here.
I've worked with personalities in JK Simmons character's vein though not to such a hyper textualized degree. Film is about tweaking reality to emphasize a certain feeling, mood or emotion. Take the Red/Green motif throughout the film and the shirts here.
Before this moment our hero has never worn black. He wears grey and muted colors like his father. After he gives his soul to the teacher he wears only black to reflect his allegiance to "the devil". Faust also finds a way to trick the devil in the end. Not unlike our hero's feint
Again, in reality the relationship is highly problematic. Life is never clean and tidy and I appreciate the hyper reality reflecting the grey areas of their relationship. I've coached and I would never condone striking someone or using abusive language. In my experience (thread)
it doesn't work. In fact I coached my daughter's rec basketball team when she was young and never raised my voice once, never got up from a sitting position during a game even and we were undefeated. Parents would say, "he's not even coaching" but the ones who watched practice >>
saw I just had the girls do fun drills that were rarely repetitive and more like a game of who can make the shot or run the drill faster with everyone rooting each other on. It was not about individuals but about group play making everyone better. But I'm not Faust...
I've been down that road to some degree and I understand what Whiplash is and what it is saying and I know some folks who've paid the price to some degree and I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the pain tolerance I once had in my heart and my soul. I've been around the
block a few times. I admire the fortitude that others show in the face of just how difficult, grueling and painful art can be. It is isolating in many ways. And I feel that ultimately that's what Whiplash is about. The isolation. That's why two black shirts. The devil is you.
