Albert Nobbs
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Cast: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Pauline Collins and Brendan Gleesono
Releasing in cinemas: 26 December 2011
Rated: M
Cross-dressing
Close commands the screen
Albert Nobbs gives Glenn Close one of the best roles of her career. The film is set in Dublin at the turn of the century, a time when women were only permitted certain types of work.
Albert (played with stoicism by Close) is
a woman who has bee living and working as man for most of her life. She
works as a butler in a hotel, run by the imperious Mrs Baker (Pauline
Collins). She is very prim and proper and dedicated to her work, but
tries to keep to herself. But then a visiting painter (Janet McTeer)
turns his world upside down, and she begins to see other possibilities.
Inspired by her example Albert begins to take a
few risks. She courts Helen (Mia Wasikowska), the new working girl, and
has ambitions to open a tobacco shop of her own. But she may have
misjudged the situation, as Helen is being manipulated by Joe (Kick-Ass’s
Aaron Johnson), an opportunistic young handyman. Most of the characters
here are hiding their own secrets, which adds a frisson of tension.
Albert Nobbs is based on a short story
written by the late Irish author George Moore, and has been adapted for
the screen by Close herself, who co-wrote the script with John Banville
and Hungarian writer Gabriella Prekop.
This is a showcase for Close, who first played
the role on stage in 1982, and has been trying to bring the story to
the screen ever since. She is intimately familiar with the character,
and has submersed herself into the role, with a largely internal
performance that hints at her doubts and fear of being exposed. There
is solid support from Brendan Gleeson, Janet McTeer, and Jonathan Rhys
Meyers.
Albert Nobbs is a rather dour and downbeat film, and it could have used some touches of humour to lighten the tone. Visually the film is also quite drab. The film has been directed in subtle, understated fashion by Colombian-born director Rodrigo Garcia, the son of novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and whose films have included the moving Mother And Child.
Greg King
Read more of Greg King's reviews at filmreviews.net.au