"The Nest" (2020 release from the UK; 106 min.) brings the story of Rory and his wife Allison and their kids Samantha (14) and Benjamin (10). As the movie opens, we are in New York and watch "a day in the life" of this family. Next morning, Rory has news: he has a great job opportunity in London (where he hails from). Allison reluctantly agrees, and soon the family arrives in the UK at their new place in Surrey, a massive 17th century mansion. It's not long before tension rises... At this point we are 15 min. into the film but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it al plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the second feature-length film from writer-director Sean Durkin, who previously gave us the excellent "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Here he examines the consequences of uprooting a family from their familiar New York surroundings to a brand new and unfamiliar environment in the UK. This movie is plot-heavy and hence I'm not going to say a whole lot more, although I will say this: I found this movie classify, as it covers a number of different areas, although a generic 'family drama' could cover it. Also, the movie is set in the 1980s: there is reference to "President Reagan" on the radio, and 1980s music is a-plentiful including the Thompson Twins, the Cure, and many others. What I thought at the end of the film was this: "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)", the 1985 hit by Simply Red. Why? Just watch! Jude Law (as Rory) is excellent once again (he currently stars in the HBO mini-series "The Third Day"), and the same goes for Carrie Coon (for Allison). Beware: there are a few scenes in the movie involving horses that you may find difficult to stomach (I looked away).
"The Nest" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival (yea, pre-COVID-19) to good buzz. Then of course movie theaters shut down. The movie finally was recently released in select theaters, including my art-house theater here in Cincinnati, fully adhering to all COVID-19 protocols. Not that it mattered, as the Tuesday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly: 2 people (including myself). If you are interested in a hard to classify 'family drama' or simple a fan of Jude Law or Carrie Coon, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
