The image of the series Netflix It is not exactly going through its best moment, since the idea that they are going to be canceled long before the full story is told is becoming more widespread. It is true that then it depends on each case, but that does not help the platform to continue releasing new hits every so often. However, from there it is worth taking his miniserieswhich have also served as the basis for some of the best Netflix television productions.
In the case of ‘Bronca’, special emphasis is not being placed on the fact that this peculiar dramatic comedy is actually a miniseries, since it tells a closed story over 10 episodes. It is true that its premise -two people have an incident on the road and go to unimaginable lengths to get revenge and make life miserable for the other- lends itself more to a movie, but the way of approaching it it’s so worth it, to the point that right now it has 100% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes. Perhaps that will change after its premiere on April 6, but the opposite would not surprise me either.
Two existential crises faced
Danny’s Life (steven yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong) couldn’t be more different on paper, with the former struggling to get by as he can, while she enjoys the perks of wealth. However, both suffer from an existential frustration that brings them much closer than either of them would be willing to admit and that is key to making the confrontation between the two more and more complicated.
All this leads to the fact that ‘Bronca’ is the story of two existential crises and how the people who suffer from it collide with each other. Both Danny and Amy are unable to share how they feel with their loved ones, and it’s not because the show puts them through anything, as one of its many strengths is that we know very well the history of both and everything that surrounds themespecially their respective families.
The funny thing is that both have no problem reading the origin of the other’s problem, which they exploit in every possible way to make up for what for many would be an unpleasant experience that they have almost completely forgotten the next day. Here it becomes the origin of an unhealthy obsession that lee sungjincreator of the series, takes the opportunity to carry out a fascinating study of characters that he always manages to keep under control, even when things get very crazy in the final stretch of this miniseries.
In addition, ‘Bronca’ manages to get out of the dangerous possibility that the public despises its two protagonists, because there are reasons for this. However, instead of influencing her vital anger more than necessary, what is done here is playing with the idea of discomfort for the difficulties of making the American dream come true and seeing how that is consuming its protagonistswhose Asian roots are also not overlooked.
A well shaken cocktail
All this without forgetting that endless revenge and how to almost turn each of the small victories that Danny and Amy achieve into something satisfying for the viewer. In this way, by the time everything explodes, the emotional involvement of the public helps to accept any excess that may be resorted to in the search for a great catharsis that will serve to resolve everything.
For their part, Yeun and Wong perfectly understand the motivations of their characters and know how to handle Danny and Amy so that ‘Bronca’ never loses its great dramatic axis. Also, it’s surprising that they don’t really share that many scenes together, but the energy that the series gives off changes when that happens, since both have this feud as the ultimate way to release their frustrations. They are both right but they are both deeply wrong, especially as I take it becomes more and more personal.
The visual finish is also not out of place at all, since there is a concern to give the images a cinematographic look, this being one of the aspects in which it is most noticeable that A24 is behind it. Do not expect in ‘Bronca’ that Netflix touch that can lead many series on the platform to be confused with others, because here there is a more authorial will, even though on this occasion it is not a single director who is in charge of all the episodes . That task is shared here Hikari, Jake Schreier and Sung Jin himself, who takes over in the final chapter, perhaps the most risky, no matter how excessive, is the ninth.
All this is achieved without giving up humorWell, it is true that ‘Bronca’ starts from a thorny idea and that the dramatic ramifications of the actions of its two protagonists are enormous, but even in this scenario he knows how to maneuver so as not to sink into those quicksands. Yes, he can give the feeling at some point of going around the same thing, but he always finds a different approach or a new reason so that this rivalry does not disappear.
In short
I am quite clear that ‘Bronca’ is one of the series of the year and quite a rarity within the Netflix catalog, since it is difficult for me to find any other original production of his that goes in the same vein. Complex but very accessible, with an imperial work of its two protagonists, a visual look that already reveals that we are not facing another series to fill out the catalog and a script that knows how to make the most of all the ideas it raises. Essential.
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