There are no two words in the English language more harmful than “good job”.  I did not expect much from this movie. A film billed as something along the lines of “an ambitious young jazz drummer’s quest to be the best in his elite music conservatory” did not sound like my sort of thing. I suspected that it would be boring, packed with music in which I had no interest, and played out by a cast led by two actors I had never heard of before. I thought nothing of it. How wrong I was. Oh my God. Whiplash is one of the most intense movies I have ever seen. It is a thrilling drama centred on the relationship of a passionately determined student and his ruthless and abusive teacher, who is prepared to push his pupils beyond the brink of their ability and even the brink of their sanity. Their brutal collisions drive the aspiring drummer to a point of such extreme obsession that his whole life begins to unravel by his own hand. The story is a fascinating analysis of the darker side of dedication and tenacity, and the shocking extremes that people could go to in order to achieve fame. At one point, the main character, Andrew Neiman, says, “I’d rather die broke and drunk at 34 and have people at a dinner table somewhere talk about it than die rich and sober at 90 and have no one remember me.” His relentless pursuit of greatness is spurred on by his teacher, yes – but it is ultimately Andrew himself who brings his life crashing down around him. By the time I reached the end of this film, I could not identify any real protagonist. The best aspects of this movie,...