“The Nest” Movie Review by Josh Davis : Pop Culture Leftovers

“The Nest” Movie Review by Josh Davis

November 29, 2020 6:26 am |

*Life for an entrepreneur and his American family begins to take a twisted turn after moving into an English country manor.*

Every now and then a film comes along that’s acted, shot and directed beautifully, but is such a chore to watch that it can leave some moviegoers wondering, “what was the point?” “The Nest,” from writer/director Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”) is such a film.

Starring Jude Law (“The New Pope,” Captain Marvel,”) and Carrie Coon (“The Sinner,” Proxima Midnight in “Avengers: Infinity War”), the movie follows a family that moves from the suburban United States to a castle-sized country manor in England.

Rory O’Hara (Law) is an ambitious former commodities trader who convinces his wife Allison (Coon) and their two children that the move is necessary because of a can’t miss opportunity from his former boss Arthur Davis (Michael Culkin “The Crown,” “Poldark”). Soon after, the family arrives at their new English home, a stately, picturesque palace made of centuries-old stone and brick. Rory delights in telling his family that the floorboards date back to a remodeling done in the 1700s.

Led Zeppelin once stayed there while recording an album. The children, initially, do cartwheels in the yard. Allison hopes to get back to her own work of running an equestrian school, and Rory tells her of plans to build new stables and a school on the massive grounds.

Meanwhile, Rory goes off to work in London with his former boss, and almost immediately hatches a plan for a merger between Arthur’s company and a Chicago firm that he’s familiar with. The merger would make Rory an extraordinarily rich man.

Everything seems idyllic, and Durkin does outstanding work to capture the lushness and opulence of 1980s London. The movie looks incredible and it’s aided by an excellent score by first-time composer Richard Reed Parry, best known as a member of Grammy-winning indie rock band Arcade Fire.

Eventually, of course, things start to unravel for the O’Hara family. Allison learns that Rory lied to her about the reasons for the move, and shortly after Arthur rejects the merger. That sets up a tailspin, because without the deal Rory is broke and the family cannot afford to keep living the way they have been.

In an interesting parallel, Allison’s prized horse, brought over from the United States, becomes ill and must be put down just as Rory learns about his failed business deal. All of this happens just prior to the midpoint in the movie, and much of the remaining hour run-time is filled with the slow, gradual, painful unraveling of the O’Hara family.

The O’Hara’s son Ben (Charlie Shotwell, “Troop Zero”) suffers in school, while their daughter Sam (Oona Roche, “The Morning Show”) becomes involved with a rebellious set of drinking and drugging high schoolers.

The acting is sharp all around, especially Law and Coon. Law, as Rory, is nearly flawless in the transition from the charming and ambitious man we see at the start, to the miserable, conniving con artist he becomes further into the film. No one does English charm quite like Law, and he’s also no stranger to the art of the villainous turn. Coon’s acting is more subtle, but no less remarkable. Allison goes along for quite the ruse of a ride, and Coon knows how to convey her journey from quiet strength to resigned sadness. At her breaking point, there’s even a cathartic “dancing in a bar” scene that might have seemed silly with a lesser actor.

With his 2011 directorial debut, “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” Durkin introduced the world to Elizabeth Olsen in a breakthrough roll, and delivered a captivating and haunting film. A decade later, despite all the strong performances and stellar directing, “The Nest” is just a slog to watch. The turn probably comes too early, so the audience knows it’s in for an hour of watching terrible things happen to the O’Hara family – again and again and again. “The Nest” is a well-made, tense and atmospheric drama, but the onslaught of misery, failure and family struggles require a strong constitution. Some moviegoers – including this reviewer – might not be up for the task.

PCL Rating: Taste It

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH