Off the back of tremendous success at the Sundance Film Festival, Damien Chazelle’s drumming drama **Whiplash **has steamed into Britain with its UK premiere at the London Film Festival.
The film follows talented young drummer Andrew (Miles Teller), who attracts the attention of intimidating instructor Fletcher (JK Simmons) and becomes part of his gruelling band rehearsals. As the group gets closer and closer to competition, Fletcher pushes and pushes Andrew until he reaches the limits of his potential.
Teller and Simmons have both been highly praised for their performances, with breakout star Teller set to catapult to the A-list when he appears in Josh Trank’s reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise next year. Spider-Man star Simmons, on the other hand, was seen as a seasoned veteran on the set.
“It was intimidating,” said director Damien Chazelle. “You definitely get scared at first, but he’s such a warm person and he’s so collaborative. He was a great person to have on set because he made me better; he made everyone better. He’s just so committed and professional about the role.”
Simmons himself is keen to stress his links with the talented, but unforgiving, character at the core of the film, saying, “You only have yourself to mine from, and I identified heavily with what Damien had put on the page, who the guy was, where he came from and his passion. His methodology is debatable, but I love that that debate exists. Go see the movie and decide for yourselves.”
**Whiplash **has received rave reviews from American audiences and looks set to thrill the UK when it lands in January. Producer Helen Estabrook told **Empire **she was pleased to finally get the chance to show the film on this side of the Atlantic.
“It’s been a real thrill to be here. It’s really exciting. It’s always a question as to how the film will play [in different countries], but I’m crossing my fingers for tonight.”
**Whiplash **also stars Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell and Paul Reiser. It will open in UK cinemas on January 16.
Reporting by Tom Beasley