Backed by two exceptional lead performances, and with Mátyás Erdély’s atmospheric cinematography abetting every downward lurch, The Nest holds us in its thrall right from the start.

I watched The Nest in a fixed state of unease, shoulders tense and set forward even in a plush cinema seat, my mouth immediately drying out after each sip of my drink.

There's something commendably old fashioned and decidedly unassuming about The Nest. Durkin's direction is both precise and admirably restrained in its depiction of an era famed for its excesses.

Sean Durkin’s The Nest is an elegant, chilling drama that explores the unravelling of a dysfunctional family and their American dream.