Whiplash (2014): Should we be obsessive?

*Spoiler Warning*

In Damien Chazelle’s 2014 masterpiece, Whiplash, we are treated to the downward fall of our protagonist, Andrew Neiman. In the film, he aims to be the next big thing within the jazz music realm and gain the approval of his mentor and teacher, Terrence Fletcher. This film does nothing to sugarcoat the cruelty of one’s journey toward the top; it serves as a cautionary tale against obsessing over one’s innate ambitions. It cautions towards the innately twisted nature of those we idolize while implicitly displaying how individuals can be forced to forgo aspects of themselves to achieve their naive dreams. 

The ultimate takeaway is that you have to give up everything outside your dream to achieve it. It harkens the idea that you must abandon your pride, allow yourself to be broken down, rebuilt, and continuously improve your abilities while aspiring to reach higher than before; that is the only way to succeed, to call yourself obsessed… but is that really how it works? 

We are all obsessed or have been at one point. It is a natural part of human nature and isn’t foreign to any of us. It entails having someone’s entire mind focused on a sole subject, dedicating a grandiose amount of free time to revisit this idea continually; it is to have one’s mind enamored with an idea to a fault. It does not entail any positive or negative connotations. It only assumes your complete infatuation with an idea mentally. To be obsessed, you must be addicted to an idea, but that is all. 

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why does Chazelle frame obsession hyperbolically if that’s the case?” To nail the message home to a larger audience, making the apparent takeaway that Andrew’s endpoint is nowhere near the best ending for his character. Even if some may presume that this ending means he has achieved his original goals. The more resonant answer takes this idea a step further. The idea that the hyperbole exists to warn that not everyone will have the triumphs Andrew does. There will naturally be obsessive “winners” and “losers,” regardless of the amount of thought or time dedicated.  

That may not be the answer you were hoping for, but it is one grounded within the bounds of reality, and that, sadly, illustrates the endpoint for many like Andrew. They fade from the public eye no matter what they try, regardless of what was given up to get to the place they once were. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try or avoid becoming obsessed at all costs. Quite the opposite, realize that despite this grave reality, no journey is confirmed. 

The film seems to argue that obsession is much like a dual-edged sword. We can utilize our obsessions to create true representations of our vision, creating something others recognize as you do, but it is essential to maintain grounded in reality and your own wellbeing. If you are to dedicate everything to your singular goal alone, you risk having no fail safes, no second chances. 

Now, this may not seem foreboding if you’re a risk taker. Still, for everyone else, this takeaway stands as a reminder that in the face of the world today, you must maintain obsession amidst maintaining yourself— delicately balance your aspirations with your personhood— and never lose sight of either.