WhileChristopher Nolanis best known for delivering critically acclaimed, groundbreaking films throughout his career, he’s also got some surprising tastes when it comes to movies. He’s called the Fast and Furious films a “tremendous action franchise”, namedTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobbyasone of his favorite films of all time, and evenshown appreciation for the Marvel Cinematic Universefor bringing audiences into theaters, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. If Nolan’s fans are surprised by his taste in movies, they’ll definitely be shocked by his favorite TV show. Nolan has showered praise upon Showtime’s black comedyThe Curse,saying that it’s “unlike anything” that’s currently on TV.
What Is ‘The Curse’ About?
The Cursefocuses on Asher Siegel (Nathan Fielder) and his wife, Whitney (Emma Stone), as they host an HGTV show called “Fliplanthropy” where they attempt to help renovate the local neighborhoods. They’re also trying to start a family in the process, until a girl named Nala (Hikmah Warsame) curses Asher when he pretends to give her a $100 bill for the show.Strange and horrific things begin to happen to Asher after he’s “cursed”. His marriage to Whitney starts to unravel. They learn they’re having a child, but the pregnancy is ectopic, meaning that there’s a slim chance it’ll survive. Asher is even cursedagainby his friend and producer, Dougie (Benny Safdie), during an argument. Fielder, who co-createdThe Cursewith Safdie, said he based the serieson a real-life experiencehe had where a woman supposedly cursed him:
“I don’t believe in that stuff, but I can’t get those things out of my head. Sometimes if someone says something to you, even conversationally, where you feel like you messed up something, it can linger in your mind and grow and consume you. Then we just started riffing on that idea, like, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if that vibe was hanging over an entire show?'”
The Cursereceived universal acclaim, with critics praising its mix of black comedy and drama. It’s well deserved, as the series doesn’t just deal with a potential cursebut also tackles multiple topics,including gentrification, marriage, and Asher & Whitney’s struggle to be considered “good people”. Despite “Flipantrophy’s” premise,The Cursereveals that the show is more or lessgentrifying the town it works in; Whitney’s parents are also revealed to be slumlords. Asher is also revealed to have his own hangups, including some deeply rooted insecurities about his marriage and his position in life. ThatThe Cursecan balance all of these different stories shows why it made such an impact, and it probably explains why Christopher Nolan was drawn to the series.
Christopher Nolan Compared ‘The Curse’ to ‘Twin Peaks’
Christopher Nolan hosted a Q&Aafter a screening ofThe Curse’s pilotwith Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, where he delivered praise for the series,and even made a surprising comparison to another beloved, twist-filled TV show. “It’s an incredible show, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen on television before. There are so few shows that come along that have genuinely no precedence. You’re going back to things likeTwin Peaks, orThe Prisoner, orDennis Potter’sSinging Detectiveand things like that, so you’re in an amazing space, and I can’t wait to catch up with the climax,” Nolan said. ComparingTwin PeaksandThe Cursemight be surprising, but it makes sense: both series start out in one genre, then take some surprisingly sharp narrative turns throughout their run. In the same vein,Fielder’s other projects, includingNathan For YouandThe Rehearsal, feature the kind of surreal edge thatDavid Lynchwould have been proud of.
Nolan also had praise for Emma Stone’s performance as Whitney. “I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say, as the series develops, she can be pretty maddening at times, in a very credible way. The performance, I think, is absolutely amazing and wonderful. She’s totally in it,” he said.Stone slowly unveils more layers to WhitneyasThe Curseprogresses, showcasing that she isn’t that happy in her marriage to Asher; it all boils over in the penultimate episode “Young Hearts”, where Whitney delivers a searing monologue to Asher about how he’s held her back from her dreams. It’s a very uncomfortable, intense sequence that’s magnified by Stone’s performance, as she layers levels of escalating scorn throughout the monologue. It wouldn’t be the first time that a 2023 project starring Stone had an intense performance from her, as she shocked audiences with her turn inPoor Things.
‘The Curse’ Has an Ending That Christopher Nolan Would Be Proud Of
The biggest plot twist inThe Curseinvolves its finale, “Green Queen.” Though Asher and Whitney’s marriage seems to have improved and Whitney’s ready to give birth to their baby,things take a turn for the weird when Asher stars literally losing his hold on gravity and ascends through the sky.It’s a completely unexpected moment, but it’s proof that the curse never left Asher — and it’s made darkly more hilarious when the fire crews attempt to get him out of a tree, despite his pleas for them to stop. It’s the kind of plot twist that Christopher Nolan loves putting in his films, which might explain part of why he was drawn toThe Curse. Nolan has also drawn Benny Safdie into his cast of recent collaborators, as Safdie had a role inOppenheimeras physicist Edward Teller; Safdie will also appear in Nolan’s Greek epicThe Odyssey.Despite its critical acclaim,The Cursehas yet to be renewed for a second season. Both Fielder and Safdiehave mentioned that they have ideas for a second season,with Fielder tellingThe Hollywood Reporter, “There definitely could be. From the start, we had it mapped out beyond the first season.” IfThe Cursereturns, hopefully it keeps the same mix of black comedy and drama that looped in Christopher Nolan…or at the very least, get him to direct an episode or two.
The Curseis available to stream on Paramount+.
