Review of Sean Durkin's 2021 film 'The Nest' starring Carrie Coon and Jude Law

Sean Durkin's 2021 film 'The Nest' features Carrie Coon as Allison O'Hara, a frightening equestrian trainer married to Jude Law's character Rory, an ineffectual trader. Set during the 1980s neoliberal era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, the film follows the O'Hara family's serial relocations chasing money, culminating in a move to a cavernous mansion in the UK for what Rory calls an opportunity in London. The film's style creates an eerie atmosphere with gothic elements, including a scene involving animal death and a shallow grave. Allison's character is described with references to Margaret Thatcher's perceived eroticism by certain literary men and Anthony Powell's comparison of Thatcher to Caligula and Marilyn Monroe. The O'Haras' dynamic resembles the Macbeths, with Rory as the ambitious but faltering husband and Allison as the ice-cold wife. A key scene in a London restaurant shows Allison figuratively murdering Rory with her curdled disappointment as he denies their financial troubles. The film serves as a morality tale demonstrating the ruinous consequences of pursuing desires within a capitalist framework.