User Reviews

This is a good movie for those of us who enjoy a good, meaningful story. It is set in the 1980s and is mostly a character study of the four family members, dad, mom, a teenage daughter and a son that is just ten. Dad is British, he located the family in the US for his wife but now, in his 40s, is missing what he sees as the big business action in London. Mom has her own interests, rides and teaches riding, has a stable she rents space to others. The kids have normal lives and activities.

Dad lies to his wife, tells her his powerful former boss in London called and invited him to return. Mom is reluctant to pull up stakes, give up their ideal lifestyle, head to a big unknown. Dad leases a large, old estate that isn't comfortable for anyone.

At a social party some time later the big boss recalls how Dad had called him to see if he could return. That is when Mom first learned that her husband lied. As time passes more lies surface. It turns out the husband and wife were taking pretty much opposite approaches in dealing with others and issues. And then it turns out they are pretty much broke.

There is a very telling scene where Dad is taking a cab home and relates to the driver that at one time in the US he had a million dollars and thought he would have it forever. He began to think past hard work and kept looking for the financial windfall. During that period he spent lavishly with little regard for whether income would match it.

Jude Law is very good in this role, his character has to be completely broken before he accepts what he has caused for himself and his family and finally gets to the point where he has the chance to turn things around.

We watched this at home on DVD from our public library, my wife left after 30 minutes, she wasn't enjoying seeing the family turmoil.

Greetings again from the darkness. I'm not sure how to officially protest, but this is writer-director Sean Durkin's first feature film since the excellent and thought-provoking MARCY MARTHA MAY MARLENE in 2011. Okay, he directed a TV mini-series ("Southcliffe") in that span, but there really should be some kind of ordinance mandating (or at least pleading with) Mr. Durkin to share his art more frequently. His approach is not conventional, and it challenges the eye and mind. The story doesn't move at the pace we've come to expect, and the characters - though quite believable - don't always act the way we expect.

Jude Law stars as Rory O'Hara, a business man with big dreams ... dreams far bigger than his work ethic. Carrie Coon ("Fargo", GONE GIRL) co-stars as his wife Allison. This husband and wife couldn't be more different. Where Rory is the big-talking blow-hard who, Allison is the down-to-earth horse trainer. Oona Roche plays teenage daughter Samantha, and Charlie Shotwell (CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, 2016) is the younger Benjamin. Durkin does a nice job with the family set-up in the first few minutes of the film. We get a sense of each, as well as the family dynamics. There is a great shot of Rory sitting idly at his desk, and soon after he wakes up Allison with a cup of coffee and the announcement that they need to move to London.

The film is set in the 1980's (the Reagan-Thatcher era), and Rory's desperation to prove his business acumen is on full display when he meets his old (now new again) boss Arthur (Michael Culkin). Rory is a social climber, intent on keeping up with the Joneses (or whatever they're called in London), and he's referred to as "Old British - New American". He takes it as a compliment, but we soon witness Rory as little more than a fast-talking salesman. A restaurant scene featuring Allison, Rory, and his co-worker Steve (Adeel Akhtar) is brilliantly played, as Rory's professional life begins to unravel at a pace matching that of his family life.

We see each of the family members cut loose in their own way, in an attempt to deal with the strain. Timid Benjamin lashes out at school. Samantha throws a wild bash at the family home. Allison guzzles gin and lets go on the dance floor. Speaking of the family home - it's an old mansion that is the loudest symbol of Rory's stretch to impress. The film seems to tease us a couple of time in regards to possible paranormal activity within the home, but that's simply Durkin's misdirection. The only thing rotten or haunted is the make-up of the family. Their domestic dysfunction is horror in its own right.

Rory's delusions of grandeur and worshipping of money are finally thrown back in his face during a tremendous scene of Taxicab philosophy. When asked what he does for a living, Rory answers, "I pretend to be rich", in what may be his only moment of clarity. Jude Law is superb as the charming guy we don't really like, and Carrie Coon goes toe-to-toe as his polar opposite, and she's exceptional. Mr. Durkin and cinematographer Matyas Erdely (SON OF SAUL, 2015) keep us off balance with the fascinating shots within the mansion, and startling close-ups that make a point. There is certainly no abundance of light, but this isn't the type of family that the spotlight tends to find. It's likely to be a divisive film not embraced by mainstream audiences, but adored by those who crave projects that are creative and different. It played Sundance prior to the pandemic, and now we have to hope we aren't forced to wait another 9 years for the next Sean Durkin film. Although I will I have to.

I sat for almost two hours waiting for the climax. I thought maybe at the end, we'd find out that it was an undercover haunted house movie. No. Okay how about seeing if there is a moral to the tale. No. Netflix sold this as a "psychological thriller" which is the biggest mislead. There was no thriller and nothing psychological about it. 2 hrs of my life I will never get back. I gave it a 3 because of the acting. The end.

Oh and someone tell me what was the big deal about the horses body being unearthed???????? Why did the boy respond to it as if he found the corpse of a werewolf.

Yes the plot is simple and some people say it had many scenes that added nothing to the experience and I disagree. I think the movie achieved what it wanted perfectly.

First of all. Live within your means. People in the west and increasingly all around the world live in a fairytale. They want the latest iphone, a brand new gucci bag and high maintenance car just because it's out there, just because they think it will add value/meaning to their life and give them the opportunity to post something on Instagram. If you cant afford it- dont buy it. Learn to say NO.Either make more money or be content with what you have. Invest in your skills/hobbies instead of a fancy lifestyle you cant afford.

Are you honest and real with the person that you truly are? Who are you trying to impress, yourself or others? Look at Warren Buffet. He's a billionaire and lives in a modest home, drives his rusty car ,and gets breakfast at McDonalds. If you walked past him you would probably never tell that he is one of the richest men in the world. Thats because his biggest asset is his mind and not his bank account. Find something you are passionate about and stop trying to impress others.

And finally family is number one. Your kids dont need to attend the most expensive school and live in the biggest house possible. They need love and attention. They need something to look up to. Yes a man is a provider , but as long as your kids have a roof over their heads and food on the table its gonna be fine. If they get less they get less, people who accomplish biggest feats usually come from poor background because they learn very early what it means to struggle. You get out of life what you put in. Its far more important to have a father in the house than live without financial struggle.

The acting was great and i really loved the way filmmakers used Richmond in this movie. There is a heart breaking scene when Allison comes back home after drinking. She desperately wanted to get her life back(horse). Life in New York wasnt perfect, it wasnt without struggle but at least the family was happy.

My english is not the best but this movie is very well worth watching. Dont listen to the haters.

I think there was a mistake in the version of the movie I got - I think I accidentally got somebody's home videos, and not the good ones with people on vacation but the really bad ones watching them eat and wet the bed and throw up and, well, talk to each other.

I'm reminded of Hitchcock's famous quote that movies are basically just real life with all the boring bits taken out. This movie is where all the boring bits ended up

On the up side, the acting... by the horse, was just amazing. I couldn't believe how good he was. He was a total professional, hitting his marks time and time again. And his death scene, that was awesome, I can't believe how he slowly dropped to the ground and laid down his head, he couldn't have done that in one take. And then when they dropped him in the hole, the way he managed to stay frozen, I swear he must come from the Method form of acting. Then at the end, when he rises from the ground and I realized it it was all about the horse, he was responsible for everything, I just about lost my mind.

The Oscars were on last night. I didn't watch them and I don't know, or care, who won, but all I know is if that horse wasn't at least nominated, there is something seriously wrong.

Rory O'Hara is a modern day Willy Loman, a salesman whose best pitch is in selling himself.

It is difficult to know what to make of the style of this film. There was a dark comedy element apparent in some of the scenes where it is clear that Rory's overspending and big deals are so outlandish that it is difficult to avoid outbursts of laughter. His sales pitch for Portugal and his posturing about knowing the National Theatre are even too much for his wife to stomach at a business dinner, and she exposes and humiliates him in front of his clients. Rory's boss and owner of the company was more professional in dressing him down in private, referring to him derisively as "Sonny Jim."

And what are we to make of Rory's wife, Allison? She was clearly a woman of sturdy backbone, which makes it difficult to understand why she would continue to pack up and move so many times after Rory's business failures.

One of the best scenes in the film was a quiet conversation between Rory and a taxi driver. The cabbie sets him straight with some common sense talk about basic human values.

In the end, "The Nest" was an unpleasant, depressing family saga. Ingmar Bergman's films accomplish this kind of lugubrious family melodrama with greater flair. One can only hope for the best for the poor O'Hara family as it reaches rock bottom.

The American dream in reverse : a young Turk , confident of his experience of the world (America) comes back to his native land to be confronted to people who are not as naive as he thought.

He feels like a king and a king is not satisfied till he owns everything : a desirable huge mansion which could accomodate four or five families , the best school for his son , an ambition which knows no bounds , a de rigueur snobbery about culture -"he' s never set foot in a theater ",a desire to sever all links with his modest background :the contrast between the hero's manor and his mom' s humble house is striking and the son/mother scene is perhaps the strongest in the whole movie ("I invite you" " a mother has not to be invited ");this woman and the taxi driver are the only people who belong to the working class and their words ring truer than Rory's claptrap in his executives meetings.

An update of Clayton's "room at the top" (1959) in which Laurence Harvey was a go-getter ,a pusher ,who finally succeeded.

The conclusion is different here : Allison ,his wife ,soon discovers the cracks in the mirror ,the boy is bullied at school and the daughter throws a rave-up when her parents are away.They won't live happily ever after in their nest .

This isn't going to be a good review. And the insanely maddening part is that there is so much power in this movie. Law and Coon absolutely simmer. They both do a beautiful job at keeping the strings tense and understated. Tension definitely builds in a way that kept me riveted. There is some truly great story telling here.

And then it goes nowhere. Absolutely nowhere. Like a teenager blowing his wad into a sock, Durkin seems lack the balls to take the story to its logical conclusion. It is a sadly flaccid third act.

There are a couple of over long reviews that seem to say that this film only can be understood by those that truly appreciate "cinema". Of them I'd simply ask: what flavor is the Koolaid?