Albert Nobbs (2011)

Wonderful character development!

Very well executed

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Glenn Close plays the titular character Albert Nobbs in this 19th century period drama. Times are tough and women are not encouraged to seek out their own fortunes. Which is why Mr. Nobbs is hiding her true gender in order to be able to work. But things are knocked out of balance when he meets Mr. Paige (Janet McTeer), who's hiding a secret of his own.Albert Nobbs isn't overly complicated in story. Or in ambition, for that matter. Certainly the premise itself can be somewhat controversial, but in modern world it's pretty much accepted that women should have the same opportunities as men. Naturally it wasn't always so, and this film rather nicely explores the lengths some women had to go to in order to earn a living.This central theme is the one thing the film has to give, the rest being mere window dressing. Not to say those things don't have merits of their own, but the film wouldn't stand out on them alone. For example, Nobbs eventually has a love interest, Helen (Mia Wasikoswska), who has a love interest of her own, Joe (Aaron Johnson). The problem with those two is that they're very stereotypical young people in love. It would have been more interesting if Helen, for example, was torn between Albert and Joe.Still, this film has a lot to offer. Could it have been better? Certainly, but it's far from bad as it is.

Glenn Close does a compelling job at portraying a man in this film. The film is truly about identity in the 19th century but could easily translate into today's times. What I enjoy about this film is it's different than the typical role reversal (woman dressing as a man and vice versa). Sure, it starts off as Albert (Glenn Close) as a woman portraying a man just to survive but what separates this film from the others is that Albert is attracted to a woman instead of a man. Here is where the identity part comes in, we get to see Albert go through the emotions of figuring out what defines him/her and what makes Albert comfortable.There is a ton of symbolism in this film. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a small but significant role. He is only in a few scenes but each one is important. He is a viscount and a guest of the hotel. *spoiler* In the second scene, he is in a bathrobe and his friend was naked in the bed and says to him, "should we wake the girls?" that wouldn't mean anything but not only is he married but there are other allusions later in the film. In the following scene, which is a costume party for the guests, he is in a dress, while the viscountess is in his tuxedo. The final scene is him talking to the mistress about losing his key to the adjoining room; which alludes to the scene of them being naked. It seems like this character was brought in to show that when you have money, you have more freedom. To counter this, Albert couldn't even wear a dress in his own bedroom for fear of someone finding out he was a woman. The consequences were that he could not making a living vs. the viscount and viscountess wouldn't have that problem. I mentioned those scenes to also discuss sexuality. Again, both the viscount and viscountess have the freedom to explore both genders sexually. In this film, *spoiler* since Albert is attracted to a woman, s/he gets the chance to see what life would be like to marry a woman. S/he meets Hubert Page, whom is also a woman dressed as a man but is married to a woman. We get to see Albert courting another server/waitress/maid that works in the hotel. Since there is a vast age difference and lack of experience, the server (Helen) has to tell Albert what courting is like in the 19th century. Overall, a good film which raises questions about gender roles, expectations and identity.

There are a number of thoughtful, excellent reviews of Albert Nobbs already, and I confess that I doubt I can add substantially to them. I did want to note that, unlike several other reviewers, I found the spareness of Albert Nobb's story, as embodied remarkably by Glenn Close, to be extremely compelling rather than empty or limited. It stands, literally and significantly, in vivid contrast to the towering (in every sense!) presence of Hubert Page, played so magnificently by Janet McTeer--and that's part of the point.And now having said the above, I did want to comment on one tiny element in an otherwise very well written and thoughtful review here, by chaz-28, in which that reviewer suggested that camera tricks and/or forced perspective must have been used to create the illusion of McTeer's Mr. Page looming over other characters... Ms. McTeer is 6'1" tall, quite tall enough on her own to do all the looming/towering necessary without any cinematic magic! (I have a pretty good sense of her height, having both a son-in-law and ex who are/were around the same height.) It's a little funny, considering the subject matter of the film itself, to realize how hard it is for folks--even those very impressed with the work--to imagine that a woman might be... well, big as a man!In conclusion... I wholeheartedly recommend this film. It's a stellar example of deep character exploration and development, embedded in a sturdy, engrossing story. More than worth the watch.

I rented this and knew nothing about it. Just the title! I didn't even look who was playing in it! And it was the best thing that could've happened! If you can do the same thing (I always try to watch everything like that), do it! If you like a good Drama, this will satisfy you in every regard. I read afterwards that some people were up for Academy Awards (which is why I might have heard of the title or recognized it, before renting it) and it is well deserved! Albert Nobbs in particular is just breath taking (in more than one sense).That's why I won't go into any details of the story, something you will discover for yourself (hopefully) and something that is worth your time. And the story might not exactly develop in the direction you'd expect. Or does it? Find out if you haven't already