Whiplash is often interpreted at face-value as a narrative about triumph, grit, and sacrifice in order to achieve greatness. Many viewers (myself included) will find the final scene exhilarating and might leave the theatre thrilled that through literal blood, tears, and sweat, hard work triumphs over the impossible-to-please villain. Neiman becomes one of the "greats" and there is immense catharsis.
The adversarial viewpoint will usually argue that while Neiman was able to give a spectacle-inducing performance and becomes one of…
