Albert Nobbs

This film is about a woman who pretends to be a man to survive back in the 19th century Ireland.

"Albert Nobbs" is a well made film. It portrays Albert Nobbs down to the last detail. His personality, his hopes and dreams, his sad past are all told exquisitely and engagingly. The character is well portrayed and enacted. He is intensely private to guard his deepest secret, and yet he is also an emotional person that longs for love and companionship. His tormented soul creates much resonance and sympathy from the viewers. Albert's sad past and present is heartbreaking, and the film makes viewers yearn for a better future for Albert. "Albert Nobbs" is a beautiful film about a person's sad and repressed life.

The three movies that I've seen that Rodrigo García (son of Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez) directed deal with women's relationships: "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her", "Mother and Child" and now "Albert Nobbs". In the latter, Glenn Close plays a woman posing as a man in 19th century Dublin and working as a butler in a posh hotel. When the hotel owner hires a painter named Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), Albert soon finds out Hubert's secret. From there, relationships with other staff members proliferate.

The movie brings up several issues. Aside from Ireland's status as a British colony in the 19th century, there's the social hierarchy in the hotel, and the forbidden relationships. Albert's posing as a man is partially because of some haunting experiences, but also because women didn't have as many opportunities open to them back then. As a result of his hiding in this male persona, Albert has been hiding from himself, one might say.

All in all, I thought that this is a very well done movie. Close looks eerily gaunt in the role, easily passing as a man, while Mia Wasikowska, playing a maid, has the perfection balance of strength and fragility. I recommend the movie. Also starring Aaron Johnson (John Lennon in "Nowhere Boy"), Pauline Collins, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maria Doyle Kennedy.

Going into Albert Nobbs at the Toronto International Film Festival, I think my anticipation for Glenn Close's performance was high. There was a lot of early Oscar buzz going for the film, and it was the key reason I ventured into the packed final screening of the film. And now, almost two weeks later, I still feel a lot of regret for giving into the hype.

Albert Nobbs (Close) leads a simple life as a butler at a fancy hotel in turn of the century Dublin. But he is hiding a secret: he is actually a she, staying low-key while she raises enough money to start a tobacco shop. With the appearance of Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), a painter who hides a similar secret, Nobbs realizes she needs to come out of her shell a bit more and start planning her future.

I desperately wanted to adore Albert Nobbs, but after the initial play-like introduction to all of the main players (in one scene no less), I found myself horrifically bored from start to finish. Remember the stuffy British period pieces you loathe the very existence of, and were hoping were completely extinct? I am sorry to report they are alive and well. The film moves at a snail's pace, going through Nobb's attempt at prepping to move on and stop hiding. It goes through a few incredibly odd subplots, one namely involving a pretty house maid named Helen (Mia Wasikowska), but feels badly cobbled together. It is based on a critically acclaimed play that Close had previously starred in and feels like it is stuck within the confines of that pace and structure. I realize they wanted to stay true to the original source material, but I am confident in saying that we have seen enough films based on musicals and plays to know that it is not hard to think outside the box and make something a bit different and more inclined to the medium.

For all the early Oscar talk, it disappoints me to say that Close's performance is good but nothing truly extraordinary. She is incredibly convincing as the titular character, looking nearly unrecognizable for a good portion of the film. She plays Nobbs as a timid introvert, who has an underlying fear that plagues her every move. She does want her true identity to be revealed, and must constantly downplay everything. It may seem like an incredibly layered role, but outside of some atypical glances, there is really nothing special about Close. Her character wants to hide in plain sight, and not do anything to draw attention to herself. But this affects Close's performance immensely, because it never gives her the opportunity to make something of this character. Mere glances and passing references to something truly brilliant are apparent, but I found myself really struggling to care about the character. Much like the film, paying attention to Nobbs bordered on excruciatingly boring.

McTeer as Page however, the other woman playing a man in this grand play, is the exact opposite. I had heard very little about her before the film, but found myself unable to look away when she entered the frame. She has a sassy wit about her, and truly enlivens the characters and every second-rate line that comes out of her mouth. She is the catalyst for change in Nobb's life, but she too is doing her best not to draw attention to herself. Yet somehow, she does not slog through the performance like Close does. She truly makes something of the character, and carves out something interesting and fun to watch develop. It is not surprising at all surprising to find that she provides the most emotional scenes in the movie, b both downright hilarious and incredibly sad. I just wish there was more focus on her character, as she only appears in a handful of scenes. Fortunately they are the best scenes in the entire film, but they come way too far and few between.

Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson are the only other two actors who do not spend their screen time eliciting minor laughs from the crowd (although Pauline Collins is an underplayed delight as Mrs. Baker, the head of the hotel where most of the action takes place). While they have both given significantly better performances in other films, they both deliver some fairly solid work here. They have to chisel through some absolutely obnoxious and dull character motivations and actions, but they still shine through in most cases. I appreciated their work here more than I actually enjoyed it, but I think it could have been improved if they were not stuck working within the confines of the script.

Story and acting issues aside, the art direction is simply marvelous. The look of Dublin is so rich and vivid that you can practically smell the putrid stench coming off of these streets. A lot of care was put into making these sets and costumes look as detailed as physically possible, and it shows in how great they look. I sat in awe in more than one occasion, ignoring the inane dialogue and just taking in the scenery.

While I think the laughs that made The King's Speech such a crowd-pleasing delight last year may have had a bit of an influence on at least a portion of Albert Nobbs, I really wish they took more of a directional cue from the Best Picture winner. As it is, Nobbs is the kind of stuffy, pretentious period piece that most filmgoers love to hate. It is incredibly boring, with a lot of useless side performances and only a few good performances that still manage to be dull. The only real saving grace here is a wildly enjoyable supporting turn from McTeer, who will surely not see that enthusiasm go to waste when the awards time arrives. Maybe I should not have expected so much.

6/10.

Wow! The producers really took a risk making this film. I can see how many people would object to its treatment of the subject matter (or the subject matter itself). The acting was first-rate and there were surprises throughout the movie. Each time I thought I could predict where it was going, the movie took a sharp turn in an unexpected direction.

The cinematography was beautiful as were the costumes and sets. Can't really say anything bad about this production.

What can you say about Glenn Close? She continues to stretch herself in unanticipated ways. Janet McTeer's performance is brilliant and nuanced; I could not take my eyes off her.

I'm still thinking about the film today. Powerful filmmaking.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times(apologies to Dickens) in this Irish drama of the affluent and the working class at the turn of he century. Glenn Close is a towering figure throughout as Albert Nobbs, a butler at an upscale hotel in Dublin. Close and Mia Wasikowska are both magnificent in this saga of gender identity. Nobbs is dressed as a man in order to work and survive in a world better suited to being a male and she is searching for who and what she should be. Her dream of opening a shop with a woman she has fallen in love with, well played by Wasikowska is deeply affecting.

Janet McTeer and Brendan Gleeson round out a perfect ensemble cast as they are two of the best actors working today. Gleeson brings some comic relief as the resident doctor and McTeer gives a sympathetic ear and emotional support to Close.

Sinead O'Connor sings the final song as the credits roll. The story is a sad one but due to the great cast it is a movie worth watching.