The Curse (2023– )
10/10
Funny, smart, beautifully produced. Just about perfect.
18 November 2023
The Fielder/Safdie union is a perfect union.

It's so incredibly sad reading the reviews left here by people who are so bored and seemingly watch things solely to not be bored. More a sign of the times, and where we're at with media literacy than anything to do with this brilliant series. I guess if anything, they should be congratulated for pulling themselves away from tiktok to watch something with more aim than triggering the baseset dopamine response. I honestly thought the comments about it being boring were a joke at first.

So much attention to detail and nuance. Few living filmmakers are capable of this, and it's really great to see in a miniseries format.

The Curse is absolutely riveting and has some of the funniest, most layered writing and performance I've seen in a show in years. While there are definitely lots of laughs, most of the humor is so dark that it lands in a place that resembles dread.

The pacing is so refreshing. It honestly don't understand how someone would describe it as slow. I can't even imagine. There are often several things happening at a given moment, and multiple layers of emotions to process.

It's the rare show that trusts the audience enough to figure out what is going on without being hit over the head with exposition, brave enough to let the tension grow gradually and steadily, perhaps too generously assuming that the viewer is smart, and not just watching this because they ran out of marvel movies.

I'm so thoroughly impressed by this show, it's just so well put together. It captures so many little details about the human condition. The acting is superb, carried by great writing. Emma Stone is excellent as always. Benny Safdie is terrifying and funny as hell. The camerawork and editing are powerful. Claustrophobic, nervous shots, often obscured and voyeuristic, with a very clear Safdie hand in the workings.

As for the score, I never would have imagined Lapodin and Medeski working together, but the score is fantastic and does a great part in building the growing sense of dread throughout without being at all heavy handed.

Two episodes in, and I can hardly wait for what's to come. I'm not someone who rewatches things, but I've already watched the episodes twice to catch little details and easter eggs.

I feel for those whose attention spans are too fried to know a great thing when they see it. I can only imagine how bored out of their minds if they had to sit through an entire Scorsese or Kubrick flick. Tarkovsky would probably send them to an early grave.

True what they say: boring people get bored.
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