nightmares, trauma, & the bear, oh my!

how to film collective anxiety

Come on, admit it. You knew I was going to write about The Bear eventually.

Hulu’s smash hit The Bear has been all over social media (and if you reside in my corner of the internet, you’ve probably been seeing nonstop thirsty tweets about Jeremy Allen White. Yes chef, indeed) since it debuted in June.

like, has any screenshot of a white man set twitter so ablaze?

The series follows fine dining chef, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatti, who returns home to Chicago after his brother Mikey dies suddenly. Although both brothers had been estranged before he died, Mikey leaves his hot beef restaurant to Carmy. But when Carmy shows up, he finds that everything, including the building, the equipment, and its many long-time employees, are all falling apart. The kitchen staff are all tightly wound, suspicious of Carmy while also grieving Mikey’s loss. Despite offers to sell the place to settle his brother’s immense debts, Carmy is determined to save the place, but must face his own grief, anger, and anxiety in order to do so.

The Bear is, in many ways, a masterclass in how best to film panic and anxiety, particularly how it manifests in a group of people. We’ve talked before about how difficult, if not impossible, it can be at times to render anxiety visually on screen, but being able to show the anxieties, fears, and insecurities of several cast members all at once while not losing the plot? That’s near impossible. So how have they managed to do it?