The Nest

I’m not seeing half the movies I used to see and I still can’t keep up with writing the reviews. Yet, to be fair, as much as I’d like to write a review for every film/movie I see, some I just need to see to be eligible to vote as a Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Member.

THE NEST is one of the first films to play in the newly reopened Landmark Ritz 5 Theater in Center City Philadelphia, it opened second week of September. As of 9/30/20 it is still showing. However, I have not yet returned to live screenings, I saw the film as a screener.

A narrative feature produced by IFC Films, written and directed by Sean Durkin best known for the highly acclaimed Martha Marcy May Marlene – Durkin (with hair) and Elizabeth Olsen were in Philly for the screening back in 2011 and I captured excerpts of the Q&A.

In many ways that film explored family dynamics, which is at the center of THE NEST …

SYNOPSIS: Rory (Jude Law), an ambitious entrepreneur and former commodities broker, persuades his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), and their children to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980s. Sensing opportunity, Rory rejoins his former firm and leases a centuries-old country manor, with grounds for Allison’s horses and plans to build a stable. Soon the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel, the couple have to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage.

The Nest is a slow burn, we’ve got to be introduced to the family’s regular routine in the States, so we can be more cognizant of the things unraveling after their move to the UK. At the crux of everything is Rory (Law), a guy you can’t help but root for although he’s more or less a prick. But more than anything he’s hungry for the good life and he wants so desperately to prove to himself and his family that he’s good enough to be of the manor born. But his son (Charlie Shotwell) and stepdaughter (Oona Roche) couldn’t care less, they just have normal kid wants. His wife Allison (Coon), seems to have come from an upper middle class American background, and just wants to approach life upfront with integrity, so it’s kinda hard to see how they’ve managed to keep a marriage going for the last 10 years, which included Rory uprooting the family with 4 moves to pursue one business opportunity after another.

While watching The Nest, I wasn’t entirely certain I was enjoying it. Yet, for days after, scenes and dialog would come to mind. Sometimes with a more atmospheric movie, I either need to see it twice or take a step back from it to appreciate. This one definitely grew on me.

T&T @largeassmovieblogs 3.5 outta 5

THE NEST was one of my Five Topics for LAMBcast

#TheNest screened at Sundance 2020, but I didn’t get a chance to see it while I was there. I did however, find this IMDB Kevin Smith interview with most of the cast and Sean Durkin …