Albert Nobbs (2011)

Directed by Rodrigo García. Starring Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Janet McTeer, Pauline Collins, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brenda Fricker, Mark Williams, Maria Doyle Kennedy. [R]

Ineffectual 19th-century story of a Dublin woman living as a man for the last thirty years, employed as a prissy hotel butler named Albert Nobbs while dreaming of a more independent life as a shop owner if he can ever save up the money to buy one. Inspired by the discovery of a fellow “passing” male (McTeer) comfortably married to a woman, Albert asks a young maid (Wasikowska) to “walk out” with him, which the maid’s lover (Taylor-Johnson) encourages as a means to extract money and gifts from the courting gentleman. Albert is given a little back story to explain his life choice, but not his dedication, and the why is elusive since it’s not a matter of gender-switching comfort or social advantage—his situation is far more interesting than his actual character. Close’s face is a taut mask of rehearsed stoicism and muted unhappiness, and all that’s left for the viewer to admire is morose androgyny in layers. McTeer at least gets to enjoy the freedom and advantages of his decision, expressing pleasures that Albert probably wouldn’t know how to handle if experienced. Alas, director García stages and moves the material with the same stuffy rigidity as his lead actress instead of the nuanced twinkle of the supporting player, as if afraid that living, breathing joy or confidence would be too contradictory for Albert’s self-made world, or might turn the tricky subject matter into kitsch. Close also co-produced, co-wrote the script (inspired by a 1920s novella by George Moore), and even penned the lyrics to an original song in the film, “Lay Your Head Down,” sung by Sinéad O’Connor.

45/100