Since playing the character on stage in 1982, Glenn Close has spent most of the intervening time trying to get the tale of Albert Nobbs, a woman living as a man in 19th century Dublin in order to make a living, on to the big screen. It is rather sad, therefore, that an interesting premise seems rather rushed and lacking storytelling skill despite some excellent central performances.
When Albert is forced to share her room with Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), a painter hired by the hotel she works at as a butler, she fears her secrets will be revealed to the owners. However, ‘Mr’ Page has taken a route in life similar to the title character. Their encounter energises Albert into moving forward with life (perhaps using the money she has saved over many years) and finding someone to share it with, trying to escape the lie she has been living for many years.
When Albert finally gets the chance to tell a snippet of her story, it is a touching scene – one we might have actually liked to have seen a film about
The central performances of Close and McTeer are very good, a scene late in the film where they dress as women turning the whole premise on its head makes this quite clear. When Albert finally gets the chance to tell a snippet of her story, it is a touching scene – one we might have actually liked to have seen a film about. ALBERT NOBBS is plagued with clumsy storytelling, for which Close (as co-screenwriter) must take some blame. Numerous scenes where Albert talks to herself in her room are exasperatingly patronising – there is no insight or plot development to be found in these soliloquies, just a simple rehash or spoon-feeding of previous plot points. Unfortunately, there is little visual flair offered by director Rodrigo Garcia to distract during these awkward narrative stumbles. His direction is perfectly perfunctory, but to carry a disjointed script requires more than ‘perfunctory’.
…with such an unfocused story it can’t quite shake the feeling of being a highbrow inversion of MRS. DOUBTFIRE
By having a plot that settles on Albert’s attempts to take Mia Wasikowska’s Helen as a wife, the film is a very confused one that arguably tells the least interesting story it could from this assembly of characters and backstories. Although the film could have much to say on gender identity and roles, and the original George Moore novella might, with such an unfocused story it can’t quite shake the feeling of being a highbrow inversion of MRS. DOUBTFIRE.
It is to Glenn Close’s credit that her passion for the project has got ALBERT NOBBS to the screen. This is an honest attempt at filming a touching story, but it is let down by clumsy storytelling that lacks emotional engagement. You have to wonder if her love of the project has made her blind to its many flaws.