We watched a film the other night that got me thinking about ambition, talent and focus. What would you be prepared to give up in order to become spectacularly good in your chosen field? What humiliations, physical and mental abuse would you endure, if you believed that you could be the best? What pain would you put yourself through to be recognised as one of the greats?
Whiplash is described as a "psychological drama" and it follows the ambitions of a talented student jazz drummer, who is pushed to his limits by an abusive teacher at a fictional New York music conservatory. The film won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for Drama at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival as well as a handful of Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for J K Simmons in the role of a compellingly monstrous band leader who alternately humiliates, bullies and woos his ambitious students.
But what is fascinating is the extent to which the students are complicit in the bullying. They are so driven to be successful that they allow his behaviour to go unchallenged. He pushes them far beyond what is reasonable, but also they behave in a way that is far beyond what is reasonable. They sacrifice personal relationships, treat family members with disdain, and practise until their hands are a mess of bleeding flesh in their quest to be the best that they can be. It is not the normal "genius meets obstacles but eventually wins out " Hollywood story. Being a musical prodigy is not a walk in the park and success is about far more than natural talent.
Damien Chazelle of La-La Land fame both wrote and directed the movie. He based the character of the teacher on his former band instructor at High School and there are such educators/coaches who believe that by pushing, shouting and making a learner feel vulnerable and kept on their toes, they will forge something special. Some are parents of the would-be prodigies and there have been a few exposures in the media recently about tennis and gymnastic coaches who employ such tactics, not because they are bad people but because they believe that it works. Perhaps it does for a lucky few, but it breaks others and no-one can predict which kids will buckle under the pressure.
The film is worth a watch, for the music if nothing else. Although I did wonder why no-one had recommended that the drummer invest in a massive supply of micropore tape. No one needs to suffer with bleeding hands if they take a little time to bind the more sensitive areas before starting. Once the skin has broken down it is too late.
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