Eight years ago Sean Durkin became a fresh new voice in thrillers with his cult film Martha Marcy May Marlene. After showing such early promise, he vanished from the scene (except for the UK series Southcliffe) and hasn’t been heard from until this most-recent Sundance. He returned with The Nest, which may sound like another deep dive into a terrifying, paranoid world…and you’d be right, but not like as you’d expect.
The Nest stars Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, and Oona Roche as a family who see their lives upturned by a move into an English manor. The culture shock and uncertainty they experience sends tremors throughout the household, and threatens their hopes at a fresh start.
I saw the film a few months ago while in Park City and found it to be better, and far more accessible than Durkin’s prior stuff. You can check out my review here.
SYNOPSIS: Rory (Jude Law), an ambitious entrepreneur and former commodities broker, who persuades his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), and their children to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980s. Sensing opportunity, Rory rejoins his former firm and leases a centuries-old country manor, with grounds for Allison’s horses and plans to build a stable. Soon the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel, the couple have to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage.
The Nest opens September 17th.
