A Cursed Man

A Cursed Man is a really interesting documentary because it deals with the supernatural and asks the question: What if the filmmaker gets cursed to see if it's real? Hell yeah, I want to see that. Even if you don't believe in being cursed, why would anyone risk it by willingly being the recipient? Well, thankfully, Liam Le Guillou, the director and star, allows that to happen to him. And we're not talking about a good luck curse-he allows a dark curse, and the way he engages with people who specialize in the dark arts, is a fun way to learn about this world.

A cool aspect of this documentary goes into how Voodoo and witchcraft are all about being interconnected and how the mind can influence our physical being. I kind of now want to study Voodoo. One Voodoo priest even calls out the filmmaker by calling him entitled to want to be cursed, and I'm so happy they left that in because it gives the doc more credibility.

The doc follows Liam who travels all over the world talking with different people who are either experts in black magic or scientists who can put a scientific spin on things.

It's beautifully shot and moves pretty fast. It's worth watching not only to see how the curses affect the filmmaker but also for the intriguing inside look into this dark world from a skeptical filmmaker's perspective.

This was a hard watch. It had an interesting premise but the film on a whole was extremely bland. The dialogue is forced, the interviews are awkward, and the host has no personality. The only positive I can mention is that some of the cinematography was nice. I decided to rent this on Amazon prime for $5, and it feels like the only thing that was cursed was my wallet. Skip this one.

I now have to fill an extra 300 characters for this review to publish so I am just going to list adjectives that describe this film: Boring, generic, cheesy, bland, uninteresting, drawn out, time wasting, unsatisfying, uninspired.

As is typical with this type of documentary, there's really no pay off at the end. The reason for that is quite simple: this stuff simply does not exist. Imagine if it did. There'd be as many documentaries about demons and curses as there are about Hitler or 9/11. And by documentaries I mean serious documentaries, the stuff that HBO knock out now and again, not the rubbish you see on Discovery Plus or Really in the noughties. I'm looking at you, Ghost Adventures and Most Haunted.

Still, I thought I'd give this one a shot in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, something out-of-the-ordinary and strange happens. Perhaps curses are real after all! Spoiler alert: nothing much happens, and curses aren't that real. I mean, stuff does happen, like sacrificing birds at an altar and brandishing a handwritten note to Satan whilst you beg for some medical misfortune in your life, but nothing happens that convinces me that any of this stuff is any more genuine than caught-on-camera poltergeist activity or having your prayers answered.

I am in no doubt that the people featured in this documentary sincerely believe that what they are participating in is real. You'd really have to have that mindset to get on all fours and crawl around a cauldron like an idiot whilst shouting nonsense in the hopes of ridding someone of a recently acquired curse. But just because you think it's real and act like it's real doesn't actually make it real, a lesson that poor Liam learnt late-on when he flung himself off his bicycle and blamed his subsequently grazed knee on Lucifer. Got to wrap the documentary up somehow, eh?

The cinematography and editing is actually very well done, which is why I have given it two stars. It's a shame about the subject matter, and the subject himself, who seems like a nice and decent bloke but has about as much screen presence and charisma as a wall of wet paint.

A thrilling global quest where skepticism meets dark magic. The Director was voluntarily cursed by global practitioners and witch doctors.

This blurs the lines between belief, psychology, and the supernatural. Visually immersive, culturally rich, and unnervingly personal, it challenges reality's limits without easy answers. A haunting dive into the mind's power

Sequel needed into a deeper darker element to it. Loved it.

I loved how it covered different cultures and places and gave a global perspective on the dark world of magic and how despite miles apart that they all share similar characteristics which make you think there is a truth to the beliefs.

I was genuinely interested in this topic and really looking forward to watching it. I enjoy learning about different spiritual practices and perspectives, especially ones that aren't often explored in mainstream media. That's why I rented this. I thought it would offer a fresh, thoughtful, maybe even eye-opening take on something meaningful. But honestly, it ended up being a huge disappointment.

From the very start, it just felt flat. There was no real spark or energy. The pacing was painfully slow, and the way the story was structured didn't help at all. I kept waiting for it to pick up or offer some kind of deeper insight, but it just kind of dragged along. I wouldn't even call it a slow burn. It was just dull. And when you're covering a topic as layered as spirituality, that's saying something.

The main person at the center of it all was supposed to carry the whole thing, but he had no charisma whatsoever. I hate to be harsh, but he was really hard to connect with. His delivery was so monotone and flat, and he didn't seem to bring any personality to what he was saying. I don't expect everyone to be a performer, but if you're the focus of a documentary, you need to at least hold the audience's attention. He just didn't. It felt like being talked at, not spoken to. There was no warmth, no emotion, and no sense of connection.

I kept thinking it might get better. That maybe another voice would step in or it would build into something more powerful. But that never really happened. There were moments where it seemed like it was heading somewhere, but it never followed through. The film didn't have much of a point of view, and the storytelling was all over the place. For something that's meant to explore spiritual ideas, it didn't inspire anything at all. No new thoughts, no curiosity, and nothing that stayed with me afterwards.

I was surprised to see how many good reviews this has. I even went back and checked them again to make sure I hadn't missed something. I know everyone connects with different things, but I honestly don't get the hype. This just didn't deliver. It barely scratched the surface of what could have been a fascinating subject, and I walked away from it feeling like I'd wasted my time.

What made it worse was the price. I paid $5.99 to rent this, which is not a huge amount, but it still feels like a waste when the experience was this underwhelming. If it had been free, maybe I wouldn't feel so annoyed. But when you pay to watch something, you expect it to at least be engaging or thought-provoking. This wasn't either.

Overall, the film could have been so much more. The topic deserved a deeper, more thoughtful approach. Instead, what we got felt unfinished, uninspired, and honestly, just boring. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, even if you're really into this kind of subject matter. There are so many better ways to explore these ideas.

If you're curious about the topic, go find a podcast or read a book instead. Even a quick YouTube search would probably be more worthwhile. Just don't waste your $5.99 like I did. I wanted to enjoy this, and I really tried to stay open-minded. But in the end, it just didn't do the subject any justice.