The Nest is a 2020 psychological drama film written, directed, and produced by Sean Durkin.[5][6] The film stars Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, Oona Roche, and Adeel Akhtar.
| The Nest | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sean Durkin |
| Screenplay by | Sean Durkin |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Mátyás Erdély |
| Edited by | Matthew Hannam |
| Music by | Richard Reed Parry[1] |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes[3] |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.1 million[4] |
The Nest had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020, and was released in the United States and Canada on September 18, 2020, by IFC Films and Elevation Pictures respectively.
Plot edit
In the late 1980s, Rory and Allison O'Hara live a middle-class life in New York City with their kids Samantha 'Sam' and Benjamin 'Ben', the former born from Allison's previous relationship.
Allison teaches horseback riding, while Rory works as a trader. Believing his opportunities in the States are limited, Rory persuades Allison to relocate with him to London, where he plans to return to the firm of his former employer Arthur Davis. Despite Allison's initial misgivings, the family moves into a huge old mansion in Surrey where Rory persuades Allison to start a horse farm on the property and brings her horse, Richmond, over from the States. Construction begins on a stable while Ben and Sam are enrolled in separate schools. Rory later takes Allison to high-class dinner parties with Arthur and his colleagues. However, the family has some difficulty adjusting, as their secluded location and respective commutes make it difficult for the children to get to school on time.
Several weeks later, construction abruptly stops on the stable. Learning that Rory never paid the builders, Allison discovers that his bank account is nearly empty. Rory promises he will have money soon, but Allison is forced to provide for the family by cutting into her hidden cash fund. Allison bristles at Rory's efforts to appear high-class while they remain nearly broke. At work, Rory proposes that Arthur sell his company to a larger American firm looking for a London office.
After brief consideration, Arthur refuses. Back at the mansion, Richmond collapses in pain and Allison is forced to go to a neighbouring farmer, who puts the horse down. Rather than go home following Arthur's rejection, Rory pays a visit to his mother, who shows no interest in his family and accuses Rory of abandoning her. Rory returns home late and gets into an argument with Allison over their financial woes and Rory's reckless, delusional behaviour.
In order to provide income to the household, Allison begins working as a farmhand. Allison's relationships with her children also become strained when Sam makes some disreputable friends and Ben gets into a fight with some school bullies. Rory and his colleague Steve arrange a potentially lucrative deal with a Norwegian fish-farming corporation. That night, he and Allison attend a dinner with Steve and their prospective clients while Sam and her friends throw a house party.
As the party gets out of control, Ben flees outside and witnesses Richmond's carcass being pushed to the surface of the grave due to improper burial. During the dinner, Allison openly mocks Rory before leaving the restaurant, taking the car and getting drunk at a nightclub. Rory attempts to downplay Allison's behaviour but his clients opt to go into business with Steve while cutting him out. Rory tries to take a taxi back to Surrey and confesses his many indiscretions to the driver, claiming his job is "pretending to be rich". With Rory's confessions making it clear that he is both broke and a liar, the driver anticipates that he will be unable to pay for the long fare and leaves him in the middle of nowhere.
The next morning, Allison wakes up hungover in her parked car and drives home, finding the house trashed after the party. Ben shows her Richmond's grave, where the carcass has risen almost completely to the surface. As Allison breaks down over the grave, Sam and Ben agree to make breakfast. Rory finishes the long walk home and finds his family seated at the table. He starts proposing a new business idea and another relocation, but Allison tells him to stop. Rory starts to break down and cry. Sam hugs him, then prepares a seat for him with them.
Cast edit
- Jude Law as Rory O'Hara
- Carrie Coon as Allison O'Hara
- Charlie Shotwell as Benjamin "Ben" O'Hara
- Oona Roche as Samantha "Sam" O'Hara
- Adeel Akhtar as Steve
- Anne Reid as Rory's Mum
- Michael Culkin as Arthur Davis
- Wendy Crewson as Allison's Mum
- Tattiawna Jones as Coach
- John Ross Harkin and Tobias Macey as The Builders
- James Nelson-Joyce as Taxi Driver
- Tanya Allen as Margy
Production edit
The project was announced in April 2018, with Jude Law and Carrie Coon set to star for writer and director Sean Durkin.[7] Filming began in September 2018 in Canada for one week before moving to England.[8][9] The family mansion in the story was filmed at Nether Winchendon House in Buckinghamshire.[citation needed]
Release edit
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020.[10] Shortly after, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[11] It was theatrically released on September 18, 2020[12][4] and on Video on demand (VOD) on November 17, 2020.[13] In November 2023 The Nest was shown on BBC2.
Reception edit
Box office edit
The Nest grossed $137,852 in North America and $1.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.2 million.[4]
Critical response edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 191 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "An effective pairing of period setting and timeless themes, The Nest wrings additional tension out of its unsettling story with an outstanding pair of lead performances."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]
The Nest was screened at the 2020 Deauville American Film Festival where it won the Grand Special Prize, the International Critics' prize and the Revelation Prize.[16]
The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's year-end Canada's Top Ten list for feature films.[17]
Awards edit
References edit
- ^ "Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry Scoring Sean Durkin's 'The Nest'". Filmmusicreporter. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (December 2, 2020). "Picturehouse Entertainment swoops on 'The Nest', bolsters 2021 UK slate (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "The Nest". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c "The Nest (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Maher, Kevin (August 27, 2021). "The Nest review — Jude Law excels in fraught family drama". The Times. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (January 27, 2020). "'The Nest' Review: Carrie Coon and Jude Law Sizzle in Sean Durkin's Icy Indictment of Wealth". IndieWire. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (April 26, 2018). "Jude Law, Carrie Coon to Star in Sean Durkin's 'The Nest' for FilmNation, BBC Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (April 26, 2018). "Jude Law, Carrie Coon to Star in Sean Durkin's 'The Nest'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ Daniels, Nia (September 6, 2018). "Jude Law begins filming The Nest". The Knowledge. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Lang, Brent (March 12, 2020). "IFC Films Buys Jude Law, Carrie Coon Drama 'The Nest' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ Lang, Brent (May 14, 2020). "Jude Law Drama 'The Nest' Debuting Theatrically in September (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "The Nest (2020)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ "The Nest". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ "The Nest". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Ball, Sam (September 13, 2020). "Deauville film festival: Jude Law drama 'The Nest' wins top prize". France 24. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ Victoria Ahearn, "Toronto International Film Festival releases Top Ten lists for 2020". Squamish Chief, December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Winners & Nominations - Awards 2021". British Independent Film Awards. October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ Brent Furdyk (March 30, 2021). "Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations". ET Canada. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Chloé Zhao's Nomadland Leads Chicago Film Critics Association 2020 Nominations". Awards Daily. April 12, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "2020 - 46th edition". Deauville Film Festival. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Florida Film Critics Circle nominations: 'Nomadland,' 'Minari' lead". Awards Watch. December 17, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Nominations Announced for 30th IFP Gotham Awards". The Gotham Film & Media Institute. November 12, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Vancouver Film Critics Circle Name Violation Best Canadian Feature". Vancouver Film Critics Circle. March 12, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
