Writer-director Sean Durkin has been doing great work for about two decades. He's not the most prolific artist, but anything he puts his name to tends to be worth your time. The Nest is no exception, and the title might clue you in to the tone. A nest can be a lovely thing, something you see up high as birds come and go, but it can also be something dark and dangerous, like a nest of vipers. The setting here could go either way, depending on how the characters opt to live a lie or accept a number of harsh truths.
Jude Law is Rory O'Hara, a risk-taking entrepeneur who moves back to England with his American family. His wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), is tiring of a life that seems to be all a facade as they struggle to regain financial stability, and the children (Sam, played by Oona Roche, and Ben, played by Charlie Shotwell) have their own standard problems, exacerbated by the fact that their parents are tarred with the brush of "new money vulgarity". If money can't buy happiness, pretending to have more money than you actually do is a recipe for even more misery than usual.
I would say that we've all been in situations when we pretend to be financially okay. Whether it's getting Christmas presents sorted for loved ones, trying to fudge the numbers while applying for a loan or mortgage that we pretend isn't going to be an absolute life-line, or just having that big night out with friends just a week or two after the last big night out that the bank balance has yet to recover from. Things are on a different level for those who have had large amounts of money though. There are wealthy people who are often cash-poor (I THINK that is the right phrasing), and any small financial bumps are too often dismissed while they can continue to access their friends and social circles that allow them access. Someone who is as poor as so many in the world today are will panic and scrabble to find one extra pound. Someone who is rich will often only start to sweat when they're no longer afforded entry to the private member club that keeps allowing them to ring up a hefty bar bill while they entertain potential clients. And they'll still have a hundred more ways to get some immediate cash than someone in dire need.
The Nest looks at this, and does it by brilliantly presenting us with someone who looks every inch a success. It's Jude Law. How can Jude Law have the appearance and confidence of Jude Law while not being a resounding success? Well, one bad decision after another can create a lot of changes behind the scenes. But he's determined to fake it until he once again makes it. The fact that he is somehow relishing the challenge while Coon's character has grown completely exhausted, and disgusted, with the whole charade shows a dynamic that I suspect has played out in a number of households featuring similarly inconsistent incomes.
Law is very good in the main role here. His desperation starts to show more clearly as the film progresses, but he's always trying to regroup and redirect things if he can, ready to set up the one big deal that he needs to get things back on track. Coon has much more fun. The fact that her character is so unhappy for most of the runtime makes it all the more enjoyable when she dispenses with politeness and pretence to pointedly undermine her husband. She's brilliantly blunt and cutting, and her dwindling amount of care for how they are perceived by others is a refreshing breath of fresh air amidst the stifling atmosphere of business chat and displays of wealth. Both Roche and Shotwell do well, and their inclusion lets Durkin show how the actions of Law continually impact more than just himself, even if he doesn't want to acknowledge that fact.
Not an easy watch, and not exactly a happy-go-lucky time, The Nest is nevertheless a gripping drama that takes some interesting twists and turns on the way to a surprisingly satisfying final scene. It's a slow burn, and some may not want to spend time alongside the main characters for 107-minutes, but it's a fascinating exploration of the mindset and character of someone who has had a taste of the good life and subsequently never wants to let it go.
8/10
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