“The Nest” is the first feature Sean Durkin has written and directed since his formidable debut, the cult-detox drama “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (2011). The long wait burdens the new movie with high expectations.
In contrast to the dreamlike subjectivity of “Martha Marcy,” “The Nest” is a coldly observational study of a Reagan-Thatcher-era family divided in ambitions, nationality and — with respect to the children — parentage. The British Rory (Jude Law), a rapacious financier in the United States, talks his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), into moving to England with their kids (Oona Roche and Charlie Shotwell). Without consulting her, he splurges on a farm mansion in Surrey whose ludicrously large and creepy grounds have little use beyond projecting ultra-conspicuous consumption.
Allison resents Rory’s paternalism and British society’s encouragement of it, and Coon embodies an extraordinary range of self-loathing, simmering anger and doubt. Durkin smartly leans on her performance, in a long take, for instance, that observes her face as she realizes Rory misled her about his job offer’s origins. Law, though, is miscast. He has the smarm but not the charm of a compulsive grifter, even a hapless one. In a grimly funny scene, he unsuccessfully pitches his estranged mother (Anne Reid) on meeting her grandson, now 10.
In technique, “The Nest” is severe but unimpeachable, from the carefully paralleled shots of Law awaking Coon at different houses to the Cesca chairs that subtly signify comfort (and time period) at family meals, notably the breakfast scenes at the beginning and end. If Durkin’s writing doesn’t always match his formal flair, “The Nest” has a bracing economy, cramming a lot into tight quarters.
The Nest
Rated R. Sex, marital fights and the pitiless treatment of a horse. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. In theaters. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters.
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September 17, 2020 at 06:00PM
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‘The Nest’ Review: New Home, Old Wounds - The New York Times
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