Whiplash (2014) poster
2014 · drama

Whiplash

Directed by Damien Chazelle1h 47m2014
ElsewhereIMDb8.51.1MRT94%Metacritic89TMDB8.417k
  • sombre
  • kinetic
  • intense
  • cold
Movie DNA

Sombre, breathless, measured drama, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, intimate, cold.

How every film is hand-scored →

Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.

Our read · Whiplash (2014) reads as a sombre, breathless, grounded drama entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, cold in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.

Where the cast leads
Fingerprint

The shape of Whiplash

Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

You want a ferocious music story about drive and a ruthless teacher.

ends triumphantyou’ll be fine aftergrabs you earlygrips from the openattention 5/5breezes by
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-upcringe humiliation

Skip it tonightYou want kind mentors or light music biopics without cruelty.

DNA · twelve axes

The reading.

Each axis is hand-scored — not derived from votes or genre averages. The marker shows where this film sits; the gradient fill uses the film's own cinematography palette.

Mood · HeavyCosy
Pacing · Slow-burnKinetic
Intensity · GentleExtreme
Weirdness · ConventionalSurreal
Hope · NihilisticRedemptive
Stakes · IntimateEpic
Humour · NoneBroad
Reality · GroundedFantastical
Density · SparseTwisty
Warmth · ColdTender
Auteur · TransparentSignature
Your take
Rate it
star-clip-1-0star-clip-2-0star-clip-3-0star-clip-4-0star-clip-5-0
React
Discussion

Discussion

cmd enter to post

What does your Movie DNA look like?

Rate a few films you've seen. We map your taste across the same twelve axes and find the films you'll actually want to watch tonight.

Read my taste — 60 sec
No account needed.