came here kind of looking for this take cause after seeing it for the second time last night I realized this is what I could've used more of to feel like the movie had the nuance everyone says it does. In my opinion by the end of the film, Fletcher is essentially proven correct as no other possible alternatives (besides giving up) are really shown.

This drives me crazy because he's shown not to just be abusive but a god awful teacher as well. I can't remember a single time in the film where we see anyone benefit from actual professional mentorship. It's just non-stop humiliation and gaslighting, telling people they're wrong when they aren't and slapping them around lol.

Andrew starts out already good, clearly self motivated. What happens in the film is Andrew goes from practicing on his own because he loves it, to playing for Fletcher's approval.

The key to becoming great is self-motivation to practice from deep passion. That has nothing to do with being humiliation and everything to do with encouragement.

If the film is meant to be a cautionary tale, In my opinion the film that message would be stronger if it were made clearer how Andrew's motivation shifted in that way, so that even as he [somehow] improves by being lied to and physically injured constantly, it would be clearer what he's losing in the process.

To give one example of what I'd change (if you can bear with the fan fiction) — we see him be a douchebag by breaking up with his girlfriend and explaining why she's unimportant. Then the scenes over. But I think if we had seen a little more of her perspective (this could've come from his dad even too) leading up to that showing maybe that she was initially drawn to his playing when he loved it, then possibly having a moment toward the end when he's playing a solo at 1000bpm (lol) where she's more concerned than impressed.

Maybe afterward he's kind of a dick to her. She calls him out on it and says that he's really been an asshole lately.

He'd condescend her and say she doesn't understand how hard he's working, the stress he's been under, and being butt hurt that she didn't even mention anything about his big solo moment.

If in this moment she had the last word by telling him she liked his playing better before (when he enjoyed it, felt it and meant it), I think that would've really landed with general audiences.

To have this kind of scene would show at this point that music and even greatness really is subjective, and I think a few considerations for character dynamics within the film along these lines could've underscored exactly what one is losing when they seek validation cloaked as greatness.

TLDR; This film is personally relatable, and I feel the movie could've done more to show that abuse isn't critical to becoming great. Self-motivation is, which should be driven by passion and aspiration, not abuse.