Why Hollywood movies with Hong Dao and Vietnamese sour soup are global hits

Right from its announcement, Beef (Vietnamese title: Discord) quickly attracted attention because it brought together two talented Asian faces: One is Steven Yeun - who was nominated for an Oscar thanks to Minari (2020); the other is Ali Wong - a stand-up comedian with many popular shows.

Upon its release, the project quickly received a storm of praise from both experts and viewers. The work is currently rated “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with 98% of critics’ votes, and is considered one of the best series of the year.

In particular, the appearance of artist Hong Dao in episode 8 made the film even more attractive to Vietnamese audiences, becoming a hot topic of discussion on film forums.

Smart way

The story begins when Danny (Steven Yeun) almost hits Amy (Ali Wong) in a parking lot. Although there is no direct confrontation, the incident leads to a relentless chase on the road, unintentionally creating an irreconcilable feud between the two strangers. Since then, they have been constantly planning to retaliate against each other with unpredictable tricks in the bustling city of Los Angeles.

The story in the film is based on the conflict between two Asian American characters.

Beef 's appearance in the television series is somewhat reminiscent of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) in the film industry, when the producer decided to give the main roles to 2 Asian faces, building a story about Asian Americans - a group that has been neglected by Hollywood for a long time.

The series consists of 10 episodes, but each episode is only 30-39 minutes long, so it is easy to watch and does not create a feeling of fatigue. Compared to the 139 minutes of the last 4 episodes of Stranger Things , Beef is indeed a dish that is not too difficult to swallow. With this duration, the editing team is allowed to trim the scenes neatly, avoiding being long-winded and rambling.

Basically, the film has a simple idea with the revenge motif and the way of building 2 opposing characters. But creator Lee Sung Jin and 2 directors Hikari - Jake Schreier were very smart in avoiding all the beaten paths, thereby creating a work with many surprises.

CNN pointed out that Lee Sung Jin’s career has been closely linked to sitcom projects, so he has developed his experience in leading the rhythm in a short period of time, attracting the audience from episode to episode. Therefore, the series is very suitable for those who like “binge-watching”, wanting to watch 10 episodes at a time.

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun's looks in the film.

Moreover, “twist” is almost a specialty of the show. In the first episode, viewers can easily be “shocked” by many unpredictable, even shocking details. A typical example is Amy’s secret obsession with a handgun, to the point that her husband has to find a way to hide it in a safe.

Although incorporating many genres, black comedy is still the main factor that creates attraction. The situations and dialogues, no matter how profound, can still make people laugh, helping viewers relax their minds and not be stressed by too heavy topics. That is why The Guardian rated the series 4/5 stars, evaluating this as a humorous and entertaining show.

Vivid portrayal of Asian immigrants

Of course, Beef would not be as profound without a solid script. The plots are continuously interwoven in a reasonable way, incorporating many meanings and purposes. Vox writer Alex Abad-Santos praised the script, commenting that the film had such a perfect ending that there was no need to produce a second season.

The writers' calculation is shown right from the title of each episode - which is named after quotes from famous people, such as Werner Herzog, Franz Kafka, Sylvia Plath, Joseph Campbell,...

For example, episode 1 is titled “The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech in Pain” – which is taken from the documentary Burden of Dreams by German director Werner Herzog. According to Collider , the quote implies that the characters, despite their different circumstances, are all suffering in their own way, which can only be revealed in the final episode.

The film's script has many hidden meanings, with deep satirical meaning.

In fact, the filmmakers played on words right in the title. “Beef” recalls “beefsteak” but also means “hatred” in English. The title alludes to the conflict between the characters, but also partly to the class divide in America.

Danny is nothing more than a working-class guy struggling with life's difficulties, facing unemployment. Amy is an upper-class woman who has it all: a handsome husband, a fancy house, a dream job. In this battle between the rich and the poor, who will win? This question creates the appeal of the whole series.

Through the confrontation story of Danny - Amy, the crew also cleverly peeled back many prominent issues such as toxic masculinity, identity crisis or generational differences,...

Even though they live in a Western country, the characters cannot erase or forget their Asian roots. For example, Danny lives with the burden of being the eldest son. He is forced to work hard to earn money to send to his parents in Korea, find a way to bring them back to America, and take care of his playful younger brother.

Life is so tangled that Danny (Steven Yeun) loses control of his emotions.

The poor suffer, but the rich also cry. Amy's economic superiority over Danny does not mean she is happy. Every day, the character faces the obsession with perfection and hides the sadness of her impotent husband, who cannot share with anyone.

Through each episode, the image of Asian Americans appears both vivid and familiar. It seems that any audience can see themselves when watching the film, especially those who have been "so angry" that they lost control like Danny.

The smooth coordination of acting

Taking on the two main roles, the duo Steven Yeun and Ali Wong take viewers through a range of emotions. Despite acting together on camera for the first time, the two work well together, proving that they are the best choice for the role.

Instead of holding back, Steven Yeun decided to bring all of his character's emotions out. From the very first scene, the star turned Danny into a gruff, rude man, even ready to "kick and punch" when he lost his temper. Even when he knew his opponent was a woman, the character showed no mercy, still determined to retaliate to satisfy his personal ego.

But it is Steven Yeun's surface performance that helps viewers sympathize with Danny more quickly. Anyone can easily feel the character's despair through his angry eyes, the feeling of helplessness through his tired facial muscles.

Compared to Yeun, Ali Wong chose a more calm, introspective style of acting. This is a completely different direction from her usual stage style – which requires her to speak quickly and talk a lot.

Ali Wong is not at all inferior to her co-star.

In this appearance, Wong allowed herself to challenge herself in a role that seemed easy but was not easy. The problem for her was to play a mother but had a childish personality, always had strange thoughts, and different interests. Moreover, Wong was not allowed to be inferior to Steven Yeun, who was very experienced, even nominated for an Oscar.

The perfect combination of script, actors and production are the factors that help Beef almost completely win the hearts of critics and audiences. Most agree that this will be one of the strong candidates at the upcoming Emmy season, although there is still quite a while left.

Overall, Beef really brings a breath of fresh air to American series. Without a big story, the film is still attractive with simple ideas but built and developed reasonably. As the name suggests, the series is a dish seasoned reasonably to be able to conquer many audiences, anywhere.

(Source: Zing News)

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Source: https://vtc.vn/ly-do-phim-hollywood-co-hong-dao-va-canh-chua-viet-an-khach-toan-cau-ar766260.html