8 Directors Who Have The Worst Takes About Their Own Movie Endings
4. Damien Chazelle Doesn't Think Andrew Makes It Out Of His 30s Alive - Whiplash
After spending an entire movie at each other's throats, with J.K. Simmons' Fletcher in particular making Mile Teller's Andrew's life somewhat of a misery as he pursues drumming greatness throughout Whiplash's run-time, Damien Chazelle appeared to offer a flicker of hope in the form of the feature's final beats.
The sight of Fletcher and Andrew seemingly being on the same page during the latter stages of the feature's triumphant climactic drum solo, however, isn't enough to guarantee an all-round happy ending for the tortured up-and-coming drummer.
That's at least what the director behind the movie itself believes, with Chazelle noting to Screen Crush how he believes the pair's positive connection late in the day was merely a "fleeting thing" and a dark future lay ahead for Andrew down the road:
"I think it’s definitely a fleeting thing. I think there’s a certain amount of damage that will always have been done. Fletcher will always think he won and Andrew will be a sad, empty shell of a person and will die in his 30s of a drug overdose. I have a very dark view of where it goes."
Chazelle isn't the only person involved in the flick to share this rather depressing take either, with Teller himself also revealing, "I think (Andrew) lives a pretty lonely existence, just working on his craft and becoming one of the greatest drummers of all time, but being pretty miserable (and) alone."
Who'd be a drummer, eh?