- Starring
- Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, Oona Roche
- Writer
- Sean Durkin
- Director
- Sean Durkin
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 107 minutes
- Release Date
- n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
Family dramas are a dime a dozen so whether they succeed or fail, for the most part, depends solely on the audience’s ability to connect with its characters and story. When it comes to The Nest, this will surely go either way with audiences. The film may be a slow burn as we watch a family crumble before our very eyes but it is definitely worth the wait (though some may think otherwise) as it planted seeds for what would come later. What kept the film so engaging to watch was its building sense of tension throughout achieved through its terrific score and cinematography.
The Nest follows a couple named Rory (Law) and Allison O’Hara (Coon), a typical 1980s family who seemed to have it all until their lives were turned upside down once again as they, and their two children Benjamin (Shotwell) and Samantha (Roche), were forced to move once again to an ancient London-area mansion so Rory could take on a new job. Their blessed life clearly wouldn’t last forever as it would come with a cost with the ambitious Rory feeling the pressure to provide during the uber-capitalist era that was the 1980s. Things would simply unravel from there in what would be framed as a horror, from the aforementioned score and the cinematography that turned the mansion into a haunted house. The tension between he and Allison was palpable as it became more and more clear that something wasn’t quite right, ending in a refreshing way.
Suffice it to say that The Nest would not have worked if not for the great performances and chemistry of Law and Coon as Rory and Allison respectively. Law simply taps into his natural charm while dialing up the desperation as Rory meanwhile Coon shined as a broken down woman. Aiding them was the equally great writing, creating three-dimensional characters and a believable relationship dynamic. Shotwell and Roche were also solid as Benjamin and Samantha.
At the end of the day, The Nest will surely leave some audiences wanting more, however, fans of great acting will not be disappointed.
*still courtesy of Sundance*
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
