It can be best described as a battleground
of music. It was totally intense and thrilling. I never imagined that I would
be chewing my nails while watching a movie about musicians. Teller plays the
character of Andrew Neiman, a musical prodigy who is taken under the wing of
ace music conductor Terence Fletcher ( Simmons). What ensues is totally a
gripping tale of how a musical prodigy transitions into a total PRO!
While J K Simmon’s unconventional training
methods are a little scary ( I mean he threw a fucking chair at the poor guy !)
, but he acts flawlessly. The scene where he slaps his pupils for not getting
the exact tempo he desires was absolutely breath-taking. We all believe that
the world of music is this soothing universe where the calm and composed
thrive. But this movie introduces us to a world that has the same amount of
stress as any other job in this world. The movie was able to successfully give
me an epiphany - pushing someone to their breaking point just so they could
achieve greatness. That last scene where the teacher and student smile at each
other was actually a smile of utter contentment!
J K Simmons truly deserved that Oscar. The
man is one brave actor. He makes you empathize with his not-so-lovely character.
He is fierce and totally unstoppable. He pushes Teller’s character right to the
edge and completely toys with him. But what absolutely floored me was Teller’s
character. He gives the exact amount of expressions – not more, not less. His
performance deserved more recognitions and appraisals.
And this movie actually gave me some insight
into the music world. I had the misconception that some great music legends
were child prodigies and would have had an easy time making it big. But the
amount of practice and stress that goes into the job is insurmountable. But
what I realized is that only at your breaking point, can you truly achieve what
is called as greatness. You can rise above your inhibitions, break free every
bondage that ties you and truly FLY!
