While Whiplash has been described by many critics and viewers as a film about music and the terrifying lengths to which musicians will go to become "the best," it can also easily be read as a film that is, more straightforwardly, about abuse. At the time of the film's release, many critics commented on the film's depiction of music as an intense and impassioned process that relies on a complex dynamic between artistic eccentrics. Others, such as clinical psychologist Barbara Schildkrout, writing for Psychology Today, called the film "the case study of an abusive relationship."
Schildkrout's assessment states that not only does Fletcher berate and belittle his students, but he holds a monopoly on the truth, that gaslighting and manipulating as a way of compounding and amplifying his own power. That the audience believes in his expertise is part of the abusive dynamic. She writes, "The audience buys into the version of reality that Terence has sold to Andrew. As the audience members leave the theater, one can hear them debating whether Terence’s behavior toward Andrew was justifiable...This audience’s debate is a false one."
The film does not necessarily condone Fletcher's abusive behavior, but it does open it up to an ethical debate with its ending. At the end, Andrew gets back at Fletcher, but he also manages to win him over in the process, and this, according to the film, is a worthwhile goal. In an article for The Atlantic, David Sims writes, "...that bravura ending—a hyper-masculine celebration of punishing dedication and success in a great battle of wills—is impossible to shake. As much as we've regarded Fletcher with horror throughout the movie, Andrew's ultimate achievement is that he finally impresses him, without caveat." Indeed, Andrew submits to his abuse by the end of the film, and seeks to overcome it by impressing his abuser.
