Whiplash: Damien Chazelle presents a film that is a great joy to watch, from beginning to end; a crowdpleaser, in the best sense. It’s thematically intriguing, equally cruel and sound. Acting by the central pair is superb; J.K. Simmons gets more attention for having the lion share of the great lines (and reading them beautifully), but he also displays nuanced, quiet moments; Miles Teller is pitch-perfect as well, mixing all of his character’s traits with great energy. Great camerawork by Sharone Meir and outstanding editing by Tom Cross; since jazz is such an important element of the film, the sound mixing must be also commended.