Glenn Close is a Nobbs
"It’s about companionship, loneliness and survival during tough, conservative times"
Director Rodrigo García Screenwriters Glenn Close, John Banville, George Moore (short story) Cast Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson
No, this is not a story about an Irish lesbian. Sure, Albert Nobbs (Close) is actually a woman posing as a man in 19th Century Ireland, and the slightly misleading trailer might make you think that Albert is sexually interested in women. However, Albert Nobbs is a story that has very little to do with sex. Instead, it’s about companionship, loneliness and survival during tough, conservative times where social and gender divisions prevented females from the working class being taken at all seriously. The decision to dress like a bloke was really the only method that Nobbs could think of, at the young age of 14, and she has kept up with this act for decades.
Working as a butler in a hotel, earning an honest living, saving up, and dreaming of a bright future, Nobbs is solely focused on being good at her job. She has very little interest in socialising or speaking a word to her colleagues, and everyone at the hotel agrees that she is not only shy, but is also a bit of an eccentric. The only real method she communicates with anyone is in her own room, talking to herself as she counts the money she has managed to save up over the years. It’s sad and depressing to see a person this isolated, but this is all she has ever known, and she is fine with it.
Close may not look enough like a man on screen for everyone around to be tricked by her disguise, but that is really not the point here. She has had to pretend for most of her life, and this restriction has naturally had an effect on Nobbs, most notably her confidence. She is always on the look-out, paranoid and absolutely petrified at the thought that someone might find out. And Close’s rigid and restrained performance perfectly embodies the nervous Nobbs, as Close gives one of the most stirring, touching performances of the year. She says very little, and is always carefully mannered.
Her secret however, doesn’t stay buried forever. A painter, Hubert Page (McTeer), forced to share Albert’s bed due to a shortage of rooms, discovers Nobbs’ secret. It turns out Page is going through something similar of “her” own, and Nobbs is further intrigued when Page is revealed to be happily married, to a woman. Is it still possible to have a normal life, a person to fully love and embrace you even if you happen to be a woman who dresses up as a man? Seeing Page, her wife, and their home give Nobbs hope, and she turns her eyes to the young, beautiful Helen (Wasikowska), working as a maid in the hotel.
Complications arise though, as there is a young man also interested in Helen. Joe (Johnson), a boy hired off the street for knowing how to operate the hotel boiler, actually welcomes the fact that Nobbs shows keen interest in his girlfriend. He wants Helen to hang out with Nobbs, and to squeeze out many material gifts. Helen initially goes for that idea, but as time goes by she realises that Nobbs is a strange yet nice man with manners, qualities her current passionate younger lover seems to lack. Wasikowska is charming as the clueless young girl who may not be easy to like at first, but does eventually win you over with her naïve warmth. Johnson on the other hand, plays his nasty piece of work with a hint of ambition, anger and jealousy, a mixture that results in intense confrontations and outbursts, something that Johnson handles well.
Despite being a film revolving around one woman’s unique life, the director takes his time to use his supporting characters rather than relying on one outstanding performance of a seasoned performer. McTeer provides a reliable shoulder of support for our heroine who often struggles to find her place in the world, Brendan Gleeson, whenever he sporadically shows up, is a funny, boozy doctor, a regular guest at the hotel, and Pauline Collins, the money-and-opportunity-grabbing lonely owner of the hotel, Mrs. Baker, manages to convey the uptight, strict boss with both her wicked ways as well as with the occasional wit.
The problem with Albert Nobbs is that even in the most crucial, emotional moments, everything feels too slight and oddly doesn’t explore the character of Albert further. A brief background story is not sufficient enough to truly enrich an intriguing, yet highly unusual narrative such as this one. Most frustrating of all, is the hastily written ending. Most of the running time is spent on relatively tame events, that the film never builds a strong momentum. It’s sloppy, and leaves the film’s story hanging. Albert Nobbs is a clear showcase for the versatile actress that Close is and has been for years, and yes, she does no doubt give an award-worthy performance that will be one of the highlights of her distinguished career, but the muted atmosphere cannot quite keep up with the actress’ intense performance.
