Albert Nobbs

Janet McTeer is absolutely transcendent in ALBERT NOBBS.

The waves of emotion which she wraps into Hubert Page are a wonder to behold. Her performance is not one of those 'knock me over with a feather' performances; it's more like a performance that settles in the bottom of your heart and stays there well after the movie ends. It keeps you up at night, and tugs at you for days afterward.

The story itself is more layered than it appears to be. Glenn Close has brought to the screen a very private yet very emotional character. Such a character is difficult to portray -- and the 'talking to one's self scenes' were a bit annoying, as all such scenes are.

In the end, however, this is a movie well worth your time.

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.

At first glance, Albert Nobbs could seem to be another dry and stuffy period piece that would follow in the tradition and be mostly about the acting. However once you delve into it, the film ends up being a surprisingly dense character drama focused around one troubled, courageous woman whose loneliness gets the better of her years of living in secrecy. The titular waiter is a delicate, frail woman masquerading as a man and actress Glenn Close delves into the role with such complete detail that she truly does disappear.

I'm always skeptical of performances that are claimed to be "fully unrecognizable" and at first I must admit that it just felt like Close playing a man, but as the film continued I slowly lost sight of my cynicism and when a later scene portrays Nobbs wearing a dress for the first time I was blown away at the fact that I was seeing this woman be a real woman for the first time. I was amazed at how absorbed Close was in the role, I genuinely forgot all about this woman playing a character and just believed the character's facade, as well as Close's. Close has gotten attention for the role as a potential Oscar vehicle and some have lashed back against that due to the performance being quite restrained, but I admire her delicacy in taking on the role. This is a woman who spent her entire life trying to blend in and be unseen, and Close's ability to be this fly on the wall creature is remarkable.

I was glad that there weren't any hysterics on her part and when the few scenes came where, in isolation, she broke down I was devastated by this woman fearing for her life to unravel. It's such a delicate and entirely human performance, and as far as I'm concerned one of the best of Close's very strong career. The central narrative revolves around Nobbs' desire to woo a young maid named Helen (played with an Irish tilt by the up-and-coming Australian Mia Wasikowska, again shining) to leave their life of servitude and open up a tobacco shop together. Throughout the film I was bothered by this belief that Nobbs was supposed to be in love with Helen and that's why she wanted to open the shop with her, but as the film reached it's final conclusion I came to the realization that it had nothing to do with love.

Throughout her life Nobbs had put in all of her effort to having no one notice her that when she's introduced to a similar woman masquerading as a man (played by the strong and unbelievably convincing Janet McTeer) who has a happy life married to a woman, Nobbs realizes the potential that maybe she doesn't have to live her life alone. It's not about loving Helen at all, it's just about not wanting to be alone anymore and once that became apparent to me the film became quite devastating. Nobbs trapped herself in this prison and Close plays it with such restrained heartache that it truly hit a level with me. Even in writing this I am realizing that the film had a much stronger impact on me than I had previously thought. This is a devastating story of a woman trapped in circumstances of her own making, portrayed with such genuine believability by Close that I forgot I was watching an actress pretend to be a man but instead just saw Nobbs.

There's a line where McTeer's character asks Nobbs what her name is and she responds, "Albert". Then McTeer repeats the question, clearly asking for her birthname instead of the one she is hiding behind and Nobbs again responds, "Albert". At the time I rolled my eyes at the exchange, but now that the whole film has settled with me it speaks so much to this trapped, wounded soul who was so lost in herself that she couldn't escape her own prison, let alone the one that she had built for Nobbs. I found Albert Nobbs to be quite the moving, hushed character piece led by a wrenching performance by Close and backed up by several other strong performances from McTeer, Wasikowska and a grimy Aaron Johnson.

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.

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.