‘Curse’
Creatives: Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie
Cast: Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie, Emma Stone, Corbin Bernsen
Distributor: SkyShowtime
Country: United States
Runtime: 38–62 minutes per episode. 10 episodes in total; three are reviewed here.
Year: 2023
Genre: Black comedy
Premiere: January 5, 2024 on SkyShowtime
Rating: ★★★★
Curse emerges from a striking collaboration among distinct talents who push each other toward provocative storytelling. The project pairs Nathan Fielder, known for a disturbingly witty lens on reality, with Benny Safdie, one half of the filmmaking duo that helped redefine the energy of New Hollywood in recent acclaimed works. This pairing brings a blend of sharp satire and raw, human fragility to screens, amplified by Emma Stone, whose career choices signal a purposeful departure from a traditional marquee persona. Stone has staged ambitious collaborations before, notably with Yorgos Lanthimos, and here she joins a production that feels both stylish and substantive, buoyed by the prestige of a collaboration with A24.
The story follows newlyweds Whitney (Stone) and Asher Siegel (Fielder) as they attempt to rejuvenate a small town, Española, New Mexico. Their plan aims to attract affluent, sustainability-minded residents with cutting-edge homes, then-still-unseen mirrors, and ambitious aesthetics inspired by contemporary artists such as Doug Aitken. Yet the couple’s missteps, and the awkwardness of their dialogue, are captured with a camera operated by Dougie (Safdie). He orchestrates a seemingly inevitable clash between ambition and ethics, pushing the limits of what can be shown on screen—and what it costs the people involved. The resulting tension forms the backbone of the series and frames a moral labyrinth for the couple and their project to navigate.
Whitney and Asher are not presented as particularly kind or virtuous; their flaws are laid bare as the plot unfolds. The pair’s increasingly compromised choices illuminate a broader commentary on performance, public perception, and the ironies of liberal urban ideals. The tension around their decisions becomes the engine that drives the show, inviting viewers to watch the couple face consequences with a blend of amusement and discomfort. In this sense, Curse doubles as a provocative social satire and a character study, using the structure of a reality-style setup to probe authenticity and manipulation in modern life.
With its almost supernatural sense of manufactured suspense, Curse beckons audiences to treat the Siegel misadventures as real enough to matter, even as the narrative invites laughter at the misfortune of others. It marks a return to the kind of absurdist take on reality television that Fielder explored in past projects, while also inviting a more traditional performance dynamic from its ensemble. The series critiques the looseness of liberal self-image through a sharp, sometimes abrasive, but highly entertaining lens. It asks whether the pursuit of progress can be moral or merely a compelling spectacle, and it does so with a bold voice that remains accessible and compelling to a broad audience.
Co-directed by Fielder and the Zellner brothers, who previously explored harrowing urban legends and intimate character-driven journeys, Curse embraces a seventies-inspired visual texture. The grainy aesthetic and deliberate long zooms evoke a signature style reminiscent of classic filmmakers while staying firmly rooted in contemporary storytelling. The collaboration also features a musical dimension created with Oneohtrix Never, alongside original avant-garde jazz compositions by John Medeski, lending atmospheric layers that heighten tension and mood. This distinctive fusion sets Curse apart in today’s audiovisual landscape, offering something that feels both nostalgic and modern.