The Nest 2020 Delivers A Self Absorbed Narcissist

The Nest 2020 (Netflix) is a movie from distributors IFC Midnight and many critics are claiming it’s as close to a horror movie as you could get without actually shocking you into thinking it might be. Jude Law plays an excellent self-absorbed narcissist. His less flattering roles are the ones that stick in my mind’s eye. Sean Durkin’s second feature film as writer-director again flourishes with a mood piece. An atmospheric interlude of the relationship kind where castles crumble in the form of a family that looks perfectly capable from the outside.

Aside from the epic performances from Law and Carrie Coon who play a husband and wife, there isn’t much to tell about The Nest. In the vein of “greed being the root of all evil,” Rory, Allison, and their two children are embroiled in a fight to have it all. The American dream is on the tip of Rory’s tongue and all he needs to do is spit out one more deal and his aspirations as king of the world will be realized. Except of course, that it isn’t.

Just One More, The Nest 2020

As the quintessential ‘it’s gonna happen,” or ” just one more” type of man, Rory is not unlike a gambler. He goes all in, every time with passion and enthusiasm. One difference between his dealings as a broker of things, and anyone who likes to push all their chips to the middle, is that Rory spends his winnings on the next bet before he’s even won.

Between this tale and his wife Allison suffering through his endless attempts to be the winner the breadwinners, are his children. Not even the best schools and promises of grandeur make fitting in, time and time again, less cumbersome. However, as an absolute, there is nothing left to tell besides the fact, that “The Nest” movie is stylish, aptly performed, and convincing but on the quiet side.

There is no pinnacle of violence or other such catastrophes that make you wonder about humanity. The score does nothing to dispel waiting for the crescendo to arrive. Instead, there is just a dull requirement that lingers in the background remembering that Allison knew her husband well enough in advance to have seen this coming. After all, she’d been finding hidey-hole to stash large sums of money in, long enough to know he was never going to come through.

The ’80s and ’90s Spawned the Ability to Trade Your Future

For lovers of true stories, The Nest 2020 is a fictional drama. It’s encased inside a real economic uprising and Durkin’s experience of growing up between America and England in the ’80s and ’90s.

“I set the film in 1986 to explore the link between America and the UK.  Pre-financial crash, the emerging global market, and London at the height of deregulation.”

SEAN DURKIN

Overall, I wasn’t as wrapped up in Alison and Rory’s predicament as I wanted to be. Their opposition comes full circle with the idea that Alison wanted the rewards without having to partake in the risk. For Mother of Movies, this makes the pair two peas in a pod of despair rather than the pull and tug of two straining entities. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, or the narrative for that matter. But for me, I was less than satisfied as I was unable to connect with the character’s personalities or empathize with them.

The Nest 2020 Teaser Trailer Starring Jude Law

• STARRING: Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, and, Oona Roche.
• The Nest 2020 was acquired as a screener from IFC Films for review.
• The film is available on-demand from November 18th. For the USA, The Nest will be in theatres from November 17th. For more information please see NestMovie.com.

I give “The Nest“

3 metaphorical horses out of 5

The Nest 2020 Streaming on Netflix

The Nest dropped on to the Netflix platform in March 2024 in most countries and is rated 3.5/5 on Mother of Movies.