While receiving critical acclaim, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s new show, The Curse, has yet to be well-received by audiences. Following an HGTV couple as they gentrify a small community in New Mexico, Española, under the guise of improvement, The Curse is one of the most disturbing yet intriguing shows I’ve ever seen, one I’ve already managed to watch twice. While it may not bode well for those sensitive to cringe, this show may have some of the most interesting performances and concepts I’ve ever seen.
The Curse follows Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher Siegal (Nathan Fielder) as they film a home improvement show focused on implementing “passive,” eco-friendly homes in the area. The couple is accompanied by their pretentious producer, Dougie (Benny Safdie), as they fabricate their entire persona in order to seem as if they are benefiting the area they are, in fact, gentrifying.
Juxtaposed by natives to the area and community problems created by the production of “Flipanthropy,” the HGTV show produced by the couple, The Curse satirizes the exploitation of people of color and poverty in small communities by real institutions, as the Siegal family capitalizes on the misery that their “renovation” causes others. The team comprising “Flipanthopy” takes advantage of the disadvantaged community to make themselves seem like the town’s saviors, despite confrontation from several citizens of Española, outright calling them “cancer” to its livelihood.
The TV show within a TV show makes the plot feel like you’re watching behind-the-scenes footage instead of a finished product. As the couple’s facade drops when they’re behind the camera, the viewer gets the impression they are seeing their true colors, a stark contrast to the caring family they present on screen. However, as the series develops, the thin veil of their adoring relationship begins to slip, escalating their marital issues on and off-screen.
After watching The Curse, I will never watch an HGTV couple the same way again. This show was horrifying without having any actual “horror” within the plot, as the dialogue between Safdie and Fielder was disturbing enough on its own. I’m exceedingly impressed by how truly awful all the characters in The Curse are to each other and the people around them, hopefully, as a result of their phenomenal acting. I can’t help but applaud the cast for being so convincingly insincere and nasty to their counterparts.
The show does have a TV-MA rating for sex and nudity as well as language. However, the show is fairly moderate overall, not necessarily as grotesque as its rating would suggest. The uncomfortable energy that the actors bring, particularly the chemistry between Safdie, Fielder, and Stone, is the most cringe-worthy aspect of the entire series. In fact, I would say the nudity and profanity’s only purpose is to amplify the characters’ drama.
I would recommend this show to fans of horror who enjoy tough but rewarding watching experiences, as the final episode, without spoiling, completely changes the entire perspective of the series with a strangely satisfying yet bizarre ending.