I’ve
always been a sucker for movies about good teachers, and even more so for
movies about music teachers. Music unites
us, and for most people, the student-teacher experience is a universal one, so
these films can resonate even if they aren’t remarkable. Music of the Heart, Sister Act 2, Mr. Holland’s
Opus, and Madame Sousatzka are among my favorite “feel-good” movies. Whiplash (2014), a film about a music teacher
and his student is a cinematic masterpiece and ranks as one of the best films I’ve
seen. With that said, Whiplash is not a “feel-good”
film. Whiplash is a tightly wound, tense
anatomy of the cost of greatness and the humiliating psychological fuckery that
a brilliant teacher thinks is required to motivate others to achieve greatness. This film takes “No pain no gain” to its utmost
extreme.
