Rory O’Hara (Jude Law) lives in New York with his wife Allison (Carrie Coon), step-daughter Sam (Oona Roche) and son Ben (Charlie Shotwell). Whilst she is happy in her work looking after horses and teaching people to ride he is restless and looking for the next big thing. When he finds it he asks Allison to uproot the family to London to a large mansion in Surrey where he promises things will be better. 

Rory was raised poor. As a young man he found his way to money via trading and became accustomed to the lifestyle. Now he is a consummate liar and addicted to the image he believes he deserves. Allison knows him well enough to be nervous about his latest suggestion but is persuaded into it by her mother. Their arrival in London is initially positive but then cracks slowly start to appear. 

The setting and location of the film plays a huge role in the tone. Set in the 1980’s during yuppie excess culture we immediately understand the world that Rory lives in without need for much explanation. Whilst the huge mansion that the O’Hara’s live in is imposing and isolating for them. 

Law and Coon give absolutely stunning performances as well. Their relationship feels lived in and believable and their actions feel completely organic for the characters they portray. I sat completely in rapture wanting to know what would happen next and whether they would be able to escape the inevitability of disaster. 

The Nest is a meticulously detailed character study of a selfish man and how his actions unravel his family and their bond with each other. There are moments when it could almost be considered a horror movie, but the horror is the inevitability of the emotional turmoil that Rory’s behaviours will bring his family. The large mansion which sits mostly empty is a looming shadow on the family unit and would easily sit as a backdrop to a traditional horror film. 

Writer/director Sean Durkin has crafted a film that is pure cinema.