All characters portrayed in Bronca, the five Emmy Award-winning black comedy, belong to the Asian community in the United States, which is becoming increasingly prominent in the audiovisual sector. But they could also have a different origin and not much would change. Don't expect to delve into the sociology of what some call the model minority (they say that to criminalize other minorities).
The two characters who swear eternal hatred in Bronca, a Netflix production with 10 half-hour episodes, belong to different social classes: one earns her living with bad jobs and lives with his brother in a small apartment, the other is a businesswoman moves in high society and tries to close a million-dollar deal. That doesn't matter: there is no satire on competitive capitalism here and no denunciation of inequality like in “Parasites” or “The Squid Game”. This fight is not great.
The best thing about “Bronca” is that it speaks to universal human emotions that do not depend on time or place, or even on social and cultural context, even if there is one. A very small traffic accident between two vehicles, of which there are hundreds every day in Los Angeles and every other city, crosses the lives of two beings whose paths should not have crossed. They become obsessed with resentment and enter a spiral of revenge. And they won't realize that their lives were already complicated before, that they were somehow already falling apart. That they didn't need any more problems. But nothing can stop her.
We will also see that the personalities of these unfortunate people were not so different. That they hate each other because they are similar. Yes, there is a reflection on loneliness in today's world, on dysfunctional relationships, that of two humble brothers and that of a prosperous marriage. There's a lot more talk about the characters (about Instagram, cryptocurrencies, the art market, life in urbanization), but nothing is as central here as incorrigible human imperfection.
The interpretation of the protagonists is very credible within the nonsense: Ali Wong (known for her humorous monologues, Californian daughter of a Vietnamese and Chinese father) and Steven Yeun (seen in Minari or The Walking Dead, born in Seoul). And the secondary ones work: the brother, the husband, the mother-in-law, the boyfriend, a very arrogant investor. The creator and director is a newcomer: Lee Sung Jin, also of Korean origin, from the script team of Undone or Silicon Valley, and who has already signed with Netflix for several years after this talent show. This story has a beginning and an end, a shocking ending, but the director does not rule out a sequel to Bronca in the form of an anthology, that is, with new storylines and characters in each season.
We all know peaceful people who are changed behind the wheel by anyone who doesn't back down when they should. This doesn't just happen behind the wheel. There are those who take care of themselves and are kind to strangers, but get annoyed by people they only know from TV. Or, even worse, those who hate and dehumanize entire groups without respecting their individuality. These days, hate is good business: tell it to the social networks that will make more money from you if they manage to make you angry, which is what they trained their algorithms to do. Let them tell that to the demagogic political leaders who profit from social anger. Caused too much anger.
Don't expect a moral line, a self-help message, a social portrait or a political position from Bronca. Yes, there is a desire to delve into the darkest part of the human mind. In a way, these two lost souls hate each other because it makes them feel alive.
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