The Nest * * * * ½

Cheers for the good review Phil

The Nest is an intelligent, beautifully put together film. Directed by Sean Durkin, the performances from both Jude Law as Rory and Carrie Coon as Allison are flawless.

Set in the eighties, Rory is an Englishman living in the USA. He lives in an upmarket house, he has a beautiful wife Alison, and two fine children. His wife has a business training horses. Her own horse plays a significantly symbolic role as the story unfolds.

We get the impression Rory is a hedge fund manager or stock broker, it's never clearly defined. What is clear is that he lies to himself continually.

The cracks appear early in the film when we see him making a telephone call that will demand a huge change on his family.

He later tells his wife he received the call, that they had called him, whereas in fact he had approached them looking for work. The change Rory wants to make is a return to England where he will work for a firm in London.

Allison, who is already safeguarding herself with her own secret petty cash tin, is confused and concerned: another move will be the fourth in the past ten years - and this one back to an old employer. But Rory is insistent it will all be for the better.

The house he chooses for his family is pretentious and grand beyond his financial capabilities. An ancient mansion in Surrey. It's so large he can barely furnish it. It's the type of place that would belong to landed gentry, which is probably the kind of image Rory would like to have.

If it wasn't haunted before, it soon will be with the ghosts of Rory's denial, duplicity and delusion. Bills cannot be paid, the children are desperately unhappy in their new schools. Alison can see their whole life is a sham and its becoming embarrassing for her. Moreover, her beloved horse is ailing.

Yet, in some ways Rory is not a bad man. Despite his self delusion he works hard. Really hard long hours. He is loyal to his wife, he tries to be kind. Even in a fit of temper he does not physically harm or threaten any member of his family. In fact his love for them is clear. He wants things to be alright. His defense for living way beyond his means is simple - "I'm doing it for you".

The character development is brilliant. In one scene the driving force behind this infuriating, but intriguing protagonist is revealed to us when he visits his mother and his past.

The Nest is a disturbing insight into a man who is probably much less self assured than the image he puts out there. A man so tragically convinced that only material wealth and status matters he is willing to constantly lie about his achievements, his properties, his wealth and his influences.

In constantly escalating powerful scenes his children respond with withdrawal and rebellion, Alison starts to abandon all pretense, and even a taxi driver can smell Rory's mendacity and responds accordingly. Like a country in a politically tenuous position, Rory's family are left with a choice to accept him and his next dream or reject him as a failure and an embarrassment.