The Nest
June 13, 2024 | 420 words | Movies
With it being so hard to find something worthwhile to watch these days, even with all these choices, I wanted to give a shout out to a quiet little movie I streamed last night that was just what the doctor ordered.
The Nest was a theatrical release in 2020 and apparently did next-to-nothing at the box office, based on a simple Google search I did this morning. That same internet search offers various review of the film, one of which describes it this way:
“The Nest is a rich, layered drama, the kind of quiet film sorely missed these days. Thanks to career-best performances from Jude Law and Carrie Coon and Sean Durkin’s excellent direction. The Nest is something truly special.”
I completely agree. Here is more from that same review:
“Each scene of The Nest feels meaningful, even when there are very few words spoken; it’s a tense rich drama, the stuff of films from decades past. There is a pivotal fight scene between Rory (Jude Law) and Allison (Carrie Coon) that feels like a trip to the theater, but I mean than in the best way possible; rather than cutting between close-ups or dramatic angles, the camera lets the actors do all the work.
“They get in each other’s faces, they fully react, they breathe and think and feel. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in recent memory, and it shows a deep trust from the filmmaker in the performers. This is really the heart of The Nest, a film that doesn’t feel the need to dazzle or put on a display.
“At times, it almost feels like a series of increasingly tense vignettes, portraits of a family in crisis, of the way a series of small explosions leads to one nuclear in scale. Every development feels wholly earned, and the last scene – not a particularly loud or crazy one, but perhaps my favorite in the film – is a quiet conclusion, though not necessarily a resolution, a quietly astonishing finale few filmmakers ever attempt (and those that do rarely get it right).”
I hope this does not spoil anything for you; this movie was so good I just had to share. The only other thing I will say is this: The Nest may not be what you are looking for on a Friday or Saturday night. But last night was Wednesday, and this movie was perfect for me in every way.
P.S. The perceptive insights quoted above belong to Jade Budowski writing on the Decider web site.
Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.
bobcavjr@gmail.com