Damien Chazelle directed Whiplash.
Damien Chazelle . After making his directorial debut with the musical Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench ( 2009 ) , he rose to prominence after writing and directing his second feature film , Whiplash ( 2014 ) , based on his 2013 short film of the same name . Whiplash is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle , depicting the relationship between an ambitious jazz student ( Miles Teller ) and an aggressive instructor ( J. K. Simmons ) .