We live in a world fuelled by rage. Anger is the raw material driving the pistons of social media. It also underpins our politics, our entertainment and, increasingly, our daily interactions. Frothing at the chops is a defining aspect of the 21st century human condition.
There is a slice of life quality, then, to the conflict at the heart of Beef, Netflix’s acidly hilarious first collaboration with trendy A24 studio (streaming on Netflix from today). Danny (Steven Yeun) is a handyman – he’d rather be called contractor – fallen on hard times and struggling to hold it all together. “I’m so sick of smiling,” he says early on – and it’s clear that putting up a sunny front is corroding his soul.
One day he has a road rage run-in at a big box store in suburban LA. An SUV driver gives him the finger when he reverses recklessly in the car park. A high-speed chase follows, featuring near misses, broken lights and bug-eyed swearing.
The SUV driver is Amy (Ali Wong), an artsy urbanite whose life is a sham. She is secretly frustrated with her cheerful husband and his disapproving mother, and sick to death trying to be a girlboss businessman and perfect parent. “I hate pretending I don’t hate things,” she complains.
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We had sex maybe once a month. The constant rejection was soul-crushing, it felt like my ex didn’t even like me
Steve and Amy find one other at the perfect time, in a way. They each need a punchbag upon which they can unload their anger, self-loathing and impotent fury at the unfairness of the universe. When they cross paths, it’s enmity at first sight.
Road rage is the starting point for a feud that quickly spins out of control. Relationships are sabotaged, secrets exposed, bathroom rugs ruined. As the conflict ratchets up, it becomes apparent that Steve and Amy are so hollowed that their “beef” is a source of comfort and even excitement. They have nothing else – but they have this.
Their lives are complicated and messy and things rarely work out as planned (see Steve’s disastrous attempt to make a mint in crypto). But hate is simple and addictive and, after they take their first sip, they find that they can’t give it up. It makes for gripping black comedy – while also serving as a warning that, once you go down the rabbit hole of loathing people who you don’t even know, it’s impossible to predict where you will end up or how far you will fall before hitting the bottom.
Beef is streaming on Netflix from Thursday, April 6th
