The Tragedy of BEEF

*be warned, there are major spoilers ahead*

Synopsis

Produced by A24 and directed by Lee Sung Jin, BEEF in my opinion is one of the best A24 shows produced. It’s about two people getting into the smallest inconvenience with each other which then becomes a series of tragic events. Essentially, like the butterfly effect,  everything becomes a disaster out of a small problem – from a road rage incident to actual people dying. The movie shows us the terrible effects that beef between people can lead to, which is of course dramatized to get the point across, but I still think it’s incredible genius.

Butterfly Effect

The butterfly effect essentially says that small things can have detrimental effects on a complex system, using the example that a butterfly doing the smallest act of flapping its wings causes a typhoon; of course a butterfly can’t start a typhoon by flapping its wings, but it still proves the e point that small actions can affect the outcome of a complex situation. In BEEF, Amy and Danny, complete strangers, get into a road rage incident. Danny is coming back from trying to refund several hibachi grills used as an attempt to kill himself by smoke inhalation, unsuccessful in both attempts, while Amy comes back from a disappointing call with her boss denying her life-changing deal. These factors both influenced their road rage incident. From that alone people are hurt, die, and traumatized. While the beef did get resolved, it was at an insane cost.

Depression

It’s hinted that both Amy and Danny are depressed, and how the show encapsulates their depression is incredible. The denial from them both demonstrates them not wanting to believe that they at least might be depressed. This is shown in the manner in which Amy starts to see the witch woman that she created in her mind as a child. It, as I believe, was to show how she saw herself in her parents’ disgruntled marriage. It’s as if she was the problem, and she encapsulated everything going wrong with her parents’ marriage. She blamed herself for all that happened. This led to her crippling depression and feeling of loss of control. She starts to see the witch woman again as a result of her poor mental stability and feeling of worthlessness.

Then we have Danny, personally my favorite depiction of depression of the two based solely on relation to subject. It’s mentioned within the show that Danny will drive an hour and a half to a burger king he believes to be the best just to buy two of the regular chicken sandwiches. . His eating also demonstrates his anxiety eating as we see in the scene of him eating incredibly fast while crying and slightly choking, not chewing his food properly and swallowing whole pieces. These two characters show us just two sides of the same coin, both being deeply saddened with their lives and having a deep sense of pain.

Conclusion

The entirety of BEEF is incredible to me. It speaks on the slippery road of “beef” or conflict and how it can end up snowballing into something incredible. BEEF speaks on depression, mental illness, frustration, and the deep pain felt. I am deeply connected with BEEF and its characters, whose beauty and depth is incredible. I loved it and hope that you all will watch it as well. A24 has produced an incredible show that I believe everyone should watch. I can’t wait for season two to come out with a completely different cast, story, and set of beef.

My Favorite Songs in BEEF (out of order)

  1. The Reason by Hoobastank
  2. Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos
  3. Drive by Incubus
  4. Cure for Pain by Morphine
  5. Self Esteem by The Offspring
  6. Lonely Day by System Of A Down
  7. Mockingbirds by Grant Lee Buffalo
  8. Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
  9. Machinehead by Bush
  10. Mayonaise by The Smashing Pumpkins

Rating: 9.8/10