No. 73. (2020) THE NEST (British Film Festival) November 19th.

 

Film No. 73 (2020)  November 19th.  1:00 PM.  Cinema 2  LUNA SX Fremantle.

"Rory, stop!" (Allison utters the final words of the film in a manner that sums up the journey the O'Hara family have taken, as expressed in The Nest).

At last, here is Sean Durkin's (Martha Marcy May Marlene) second feature, eight years after his first. So, has it been worth the wait? Yes and no, but I'm probably not as bullish about The Nest as many other critics. Martha, for me, is Durkin's better feature.

The star performer in The Nest is Carrie Coon in her first starring feature film role. She plays Allison, the wife  of narcissistic, financial, wonder-boy Rory O'Hara, played by Jude Law. Together they are a couple living beyond their means in a world Rory has created as he chases the elusive deal that will make them rich beyond comprehension. But will it provide the happiness he thinks great wealth will bring?

Durkin is a director who sets every scene like an artist arranges the colours on a palate. The silences are as effective as the sounds. Like knitting, every stitch of every scene is building to a product. In The Nest the intrigue comes from wondering what the dramatic conclusion will be? He does it well but I wasn't as intrigued or convinced as I would have liked to have been. However, given the reviews, I'm in the minority.

Expectations can be a handicap as a film goer. But often the test of a good film is the time it stays with you. Thinking about The Nest has been nourishing. It's a film about an era America depicted on film in raw Gordon Ghekko terms. Here in a U.K./Canadian production, a new light is shone on the greed culture of the eighties. It's a costume drama depicting a family caught in the time. I was left pondering what effects the "greed is good" culture would have on the O'Haras'. 9GUMS.