Luna Toukan

One of my favourite movie genres would have to be The Obsessed Artist, and it’s pretty rare to find any films with such a theme. 19 year old jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) wishes to rise to the top of his elite music conservatory. He is seen playing the drums by conductor of the best jazz ensemble; Terence Fletcher (J.K Simmons). A few days later, Fletchers transfers Neiman into said ensemble. Unfortunately for Andrew, Fletcher's teaching methods are not exactly ideal and in the span of a few days, Andrew’s passion for drumming quickly turns into obsession, spiralling as his vituperative teacher pushes him to the brink of his sanity and capabilities. Like many good films, you’re usually better off watching it 2 or 3 times to get a full understanding of the plot. It took me 2 watches to realise that this movie was the best film I’ve ever watched, and is currently carrying the entire obsessed artist and music biopics genre on its back. There is no musician I’ve met who has watched this movie and stated that they neither liked nor did it get a lot of emotion out of them. It perfectly shows the impact of psychological trauma and how far a human will go to achieve absolute greatness. The rate of stars of the movie goes beyond infinity. If you’re a fan of music (especially jazz music), psychological thrillers or J.K Simmons playing an egotistical villain, this movie is the perfect one for you.