Greetings again from the darkness. We are accustomed to movies with men posing as women for comedic effect ... Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie come to mind. Watching an extremely serious, even bleak, film with a woman (Glenn Close) posing as a man is a bit unusual, and I will say, downright uncomfortable. When Albert Nobbs is described by his co-workers as an odd little man, they have no idea!
The film is based on a novella by George Moore, and has been a pet project of Glenn Close since she starred in an off-Broadway play in the 1980's. Her dream has been realized in this film directed by Rodrigo Garcia. The film has an extremely talented cast including Brendan Gleeson as a doctor, Bronagh Gallagher as Mrs Page, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson and Brenda Fricker as hotel staff, Pauline Collins as the hotel proprietor, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a frequent hotel guest.
Beyond that fabulous cast, the only thing that really makes the film worth watching is the curious performance of Ms. Close as Albert Nobbs and the colorful turn by Janet McTeer as Mr. Page ... the only one (we know of) who can understand what Albert is going through. Both are nominated for Oscars. During the film, we get the personal story from each of these characters on why they made their choice, but Albert's story is a bit muddled. He/she seems to have just fallen into the life and been unable to stop for the past 30 years. Now, Albert has a dream that can only be achieved through the wages earned as the non-descript, efficient waiter.
There are many painful scenes to watch, but none moreso than Albert courting Helen so that he can have a partner for his new business. He has no idea of how a real relationship works or why people are attracted to each other. Albert just sees Helen as a means to an end. Some will enjoy this much more than I, as the thought of pretending to be someone you aren't for 3 decades is just more than I can even comprehend. When Gleeson's doctor spouts that he has no reason why people choose to lead such miserable lives, I concur whole-heartedly.
The film is based on a novella by George Moore, and has been a pet project of Glenn Close since she starred in an off-Broadway play in the 1980's. Her dream has been realized in this film directed by Rodrigo Garcia. The film has an extremely talented cast including Brendan Gleeson as a doctor, Bronagh Gallagher as Mrs Page, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson and Brenda Fricker as hotel staff, Pauline Collins as the hotel proprietor, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a frequent hotel guest.
Beyond that fabulous cast, the only thing that really makes the film worth watching is the curious performance of Ms. Close as Albert Nobbs and the colorful turn by Janet McTeer as Mr. Page ... the only one (we know of) who can understand what Albert is going through. Both are nominated for Oscars. During the film, we get the personal story from each of these characters on why they made their choice, but Albert's story is a bit muddled. He/she seems to have just fallen into the life and been unable to stop for the past 30 years. Now, Albert has a dream that can only be achieved through the wages earned as the non-descript, efficient waiter.
There are many painful scenes to watch, but none moreso than Albert courting Helen so that he can have a partner for his new business. He has no idea of how a real relationship works or why people are attracted to each other. Albert just sees Helen as a means to an end. Some will enjoy this much more than I, as the thought of pretending to be someone you aren't for 3 decades is just more than I can even comprehend. When Gleeson's doctor spouts that he has no reason why people choose to lead such miserable lives, I concur whole-heartedly.