The Curse

I was super curious about how the Benny Safdie x Nathan Fielder crossover was going to play out. Love both of them and felt like they truly brought a unique concept to fruition.  The show had the safdie trademark- incredibly anxiety inducing, tension filled and uncertain.  Ending Spoilers ahead: Some of the episodes in the middle were very dense, uncomfortable and hard to feel sure what the end goal was, even though I had a general understanding of the points being made. It all really came together with the surrealist ending though. I think they really nailed a visual representation of how Asher and Whitney treated Española, attempting to help other peoples’ communities whilst having no empathy or awareness that they’re actually deeply hurting it.  Asher’s experience waking up on the ceiling, being “helped” (cut away from his last remaining hope- his grasp on the tree) by the firefighters, can be compared to Asher and Whitney “helping” Española, as well as Cara’s experience as a Native person in America. Though it can be difficult for people to see her experience, we can literally see Asher’s experience being removed from the remaining piece of land he’s holding onto.  The mirrored, passive homes can serve as a physical representation of how “well intentioned” people think they’re “helping” a community with something “positive”, but in reality, it just creates a myriad of issues for people who were not asking for what they’re offering. This can also be seen in all of the little things Asher and Whitney do- offering their tenant a visit with the chiropractor, the jean store, etc.  Overall, this was a really interesting look at gentrification and micro aggressions. Also, Emma Stone did laps around Nathan Fielder in terms of her performances, I really genuinely couldn’t stand her, which means she did her job well lol. Benny and Nathan were fantastic too, all of the characters felt well written. My biggest advice to viewers is to stick with it!!! it can feel tough in the middle but the ending ties everything together v well.