Bone chilling suspense, with twists and turns that take you anywhere you don’t expect. This is what you’re in for when you sit down to watch this recent A24 production. With astounding ratings of 98% rotten tomatoes, “Beef” is about how simple road rage can turn into life altering decisions that can impact the rest of your life. 

The TV show “Beef” follows two characters, Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), who get into a bout of road rage that leads them to turn on one another and dig into each other’s lives — mentally and physically. Their focus is all about money, privilege and status in order to boost themselves up. They dig so far that they can’t dig themselves out and it turns on them. They start to question their life decisions that lead them to where they landed, and just when you think it’s over you realize that there are five more episodes. 

If you don’t know what A24 is, it is a production company that has never missed, releasing hits such as “Euphoria,” “Midsommar,” “Ladybird” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Now with its latest release, “Beef,” it continues its streak. They did a spectacular job at it, even though I initially doubted it. The beginning was slower than I was expecting and it took me a while to get into it. However, once the fourth episode hits, you can’t stop. The suspense increases drastically and takes you on a wild ride. A24 is also known for its horror element, however, it’s not your typical horror. A24 does things more along the lines of psychological thrillers that make you think and gasp. “Beef” perfectly captures the essence of a heart-pounding gasp

The first way they created suspense was through the soundtrack. I know when you think about horror music you can think of the stereotypical melodic chimes and I can tell you right now that “Beef” is everything but that. It’s like they produced music specifically for this show, when in reality they are using music from 1990 to 2018. They used songs that not only fit the vibe of the scene, but just by listening to the lyrics you were able to tell what was happening. They also used the music to create a bias which was cool to see. I would be on Amy’s side of things and with a change in music I would start questioning all my thoughts and ideas. They did an astounding and well-thought job at using music to their advantage. 

Another thing A24 used to their advantage was perspective. They did a chilling job at capturing true fear and worry by using perspective to their advantage. When Amy or Danny were butting heads, they would capture each side incredibly well. Whether it was making the camera shake to show the hustle, or slowly panning around creating suspense for that character. A24 used camera angles perfectly to their advantage. Other ways A24 used perspective was outside of camera work. Just by utilizing the character’s personality they can show perspective on privilege. There is a wealthy white woman, Jordan Forester (Maria Bello), who was Amy’s “mentor” that was extremely wealthy and quite often flaunted it. A24 created Forester’s character to be confident and proud of all her money, to show that she has a lot and is not scared of losing it. On the other hand, Amy and Danny constantly worry about money, no matter if they have a lot or are struggling. This is an accurate representation of the real world. White people don’t have to worry about money and wealth nearly as much as people of color who are often discriminated against.

On top of the spectacular perspective, A24 did an amazing job at choosing the correct actors for these roles. Ali Wong embraces the lovable rage that Amy portrays throughout the show. Steven Yeun also did a spectacular job at depicting his character with such empathy and confusion. They both brought you to their side of things and displayed emotions that made you understand their actions and decisions. It created a beautiful ending to the show where you can see them bond and realize that they are struggling with the same thing. This created such an impactful moment because you see the hostility throughout the show mend into something else:  friendship. There truly could not have been better actors than Wong and Yeun for the roles of Amy and Danny. Not only are the main characters phenomenal, but Amy’s husband, George (Joseph Lee), did an amazing job at creating his character to fit in with the story. He is always slightly untrustworthy and perfectly embodies that annoying “nice” guy persona. This created a barrier between him and all others, which sets things up that you don’t even know is coming. 

The representation in “Beef” is another thing to rave about. Almost the entire cast are people of color with an exception of three people who help reflect privilege perfectly. This diverse cast helps reflect the troubles that people of color go through daily throughout the film. In many movies there is a white woman who claims to work harder than all others and this is a great example of breaking the cycle. Amy is a second generation Asian-American who worked her way up to what she thought was the best thing for her. Her husband is in a similar boat but he came from money so you can see a different dynamic which reflects in their characters. Danny is a first generation Asian-American who works his way up from nothing. This is a similarity between Danny and Amy that helps them bond throughout the show — creating new dynamics. 

Overall, I was blown away by “Beef.” I would have never predicted anything that happened which made it all the more enjoyable. There were such deliberate intentions placed throughout the show. It blew me away and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

“Beef:” ★★★★★