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Watching The Curse When You’re From Española
Does the Nathan Fielder–Benny Safdie Showtime series exploit the people of Española, New Mexico, or reveal their harsh truths? Locals are divided.
Once inside, the camera pulls back to reveal that the man, Fernando, is being interviewed on-camera by a couple, HGTV hosts Whitney and Asher Siegel ( Emma Stone and Fielder), overseen by a director dripping in turquoise rings and exuberant, gonzo irreverence. Española, a town of approximately 10,000 people surrounded by mountains and tribal land at the confluence of the Rio Grande and Chama Rivers, has a complex history of poverty, substance use, and violence, in addition to a culturaldistinction and scenic beauty that the series, for all its weirdness, attempts to acknowledge. A24 hired a local consulting producer, Ashley Browning (Pojoaque, Santa Clara), whose knowledge provided moments of humor and specificity for the show, as when Whitney mixes up Tewa and Tiwa — related but distinct linguistic and cultural groups that each include different Pueblos.
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