Rory O'Hara is a modern day Willy Loman, a salesman whose best pitch is in selling himself.
It is difficult to know what to make of the style of this film. There was a dark comedy element apparent in some of the scenes where it is clear that Rory's overspending and big deals are so outlandish that it is difficult to avoid outbursts of laughter. His sales pitch for Portugal and his posturing about knowing the National Theatre are even too much for his wife to stomach at a business dinner, and she exposes and humiliates him in front of his clients. Rory's boss and owner of the company was more professional in dressing him down in private, referring to him derisively as "Sonny Jim."
And what are we to make of Rory's wife, Allison? She was clearly a woman of sturdy backbone, which makes it difficult to understand why she would continue to pack up and move so many times after Rory's business failures.
One of the best scenes in the film was a quiet conversation between Rory and a taxi driver. The cabbie sets him straight with some common sense talk about basic human values.
In the end, "The Nest" was an unpleasant, depressing family saga. Ingmar Bergman's films accomplish this kind of lugubrious family melodrama with greater flair. One can only hope for the best for the poor O'Hara family as it reaches rock bottom.
It is difficult to know what to make of the style of this film. There was a dark comedy element apparent in some of the scenes where it is clear that Rory's overspending and big deals are so outlandish that it is difficult to avoid outbursts of laughter. His sales pitch for Portugal and his posturing about knowing the National Theatre are even too much for his wife to stomach at a business dinner, and she exposes and humiliates him in front of his clients. Rory's boss and owner of the company was more professional in dressing him down in private, referring to him derisively as "Sonny Jim."
And what are we to make of Rory's wife, Allison? She was clearly a woman of sturdy backbone, which makes it difficult to understand why she would continue to pack up and move so many times after Rory's business failures.
One of the best scenes in the film was a quiet conversation between Rory and a taxi driver. The cabbie sets him straight with some common sense talk about basic human values.
In the end, "The Nest" was an unpleasant, depressing family saga. Ingmar Bergman's films accomplish this kind of lugubrious family melodrama with greater flair. One can only hope for the best for the poor O'Hara family as it reaches rock bottom.