Albert Nobbs: Glenn Close leads touching tale

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 02 February 2012 12:00

Each week, the Reel Dad checks the nutritional value of a movie — new or classic — to help parents choose what to watch. This week’s pick is a new film starring Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs.

He walks into the room unnoticed, trying to do his work without bringing attention to himself. At first, this seemingly unselfish butler in 19th-Century Ireland appears only to understand every subtlety of professional service. But something lives beneath the image he carefully creates. And, in a world yet to learn how to listen to women, the rigor required of a man in service may be the safest place to hide.

Adapted from the novella by George Moore, Albert Nobbs takes us to a time when a woman could not reveal feelings that did not conform with public expectations. For a female aware of her love for women, and no channels to express her sexual identity, the only choice is to submerge herself into a fictional male identity that she makes painfully real. When we look into Albert’s eyes we see a life filled with denial, a sadness that emerges from the distance he must maintain to be safe, and a pain that reaches beyond the routine he meticulously manages. Only when confronted by another woman who also pretends to be a man, for the same reasons, does this magical little fella slowly confront the dreams she has harbored for all her life.

Playing Albert offers Glenn Close the chance to remind us how much we love watching her on screen. This lovely actress — who defined the 1980s with her work in Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liaisons — gives the character life and hope that she must perfectly hide. It’s a masterful portrayal. We see, in her eyes, all that Albert must do to keep his impersonation on track while, deep inside, a woman bursts with emotional intensity; Close beautifully captures what someone must sacrifice to keep such combustible feelings from igniting. Janet McTeer strongly registers as a woman more at ease with herself, and the need to disguise her identity, to build a life with a woman she loves. How the two women manage their realities, in such different ways, gives the film its inner tension. Their performances well deserve the Academy Award nominations they have received.

As a film, however, Albert Nobbs is not as strong as its subject matter nor these performances. Director Rodrigo Garcia seems to treat the work with too much concern with getting it right that he dilutes the spontaneity the material requires. He is so careful in telling the story that the film can feel as rigid as Albert’s posture. If only the director had let the film breathe as its characters search for fresh air.

Even so, the film is worth seeing for the power of these actresses and the relevance of the story. We’d like to think, in 2012, that we live in a world where people can simply be, without judgment. But we are still a world where sidewalks are filled with people who must hide in order to live. Albert Nobbs reminds us that when a world fails to embrace who people are, everyone in that world loses the chance to know someone very special.

Film Nutritional Value

Albert Nobbs

* Content: High. No matter how progressive our world may seem, looking back at the challenges in Albert Nobbs reminds us the freedom to express should never be taken for granted.

* Entertainment: Medium. Despite the strength of the material, the film as a whole never equals the quality of its lead performances.

* Message: High. Albert Nobbs helps us remember how difficult life can be for those who commit to live with truth.

* Relevance: High. Any film that prompts a discussion of the importance of personal freedom is always relevant.

* Opportunity for Dialogue: High. After you share this film, talk with your older children about how the world has changed since 19th-Century Ireland and how it hasn’t.

Albert Nobbs, which runs 113 minutes, is rated R.

3-1/2 Popcorn Buckets