The Two-Woman Crusade

In case you missed it, this past Tuesday the nominees for the impending Academy Awards were announced.

Here at 2WC, we take these things quite seriously.  Faithful followers will know that it’s only a matter of time before we begin our Second Annual Countdown to the Oscars, during which we will review all of the Best Picture nominees.

Until then, we thought we thought we’d use our Flick Fridays to highlight some of the other nominated films outside of the big prize category. This week’s selection features Best Actress nominee Glenn Close, Best Supporting Actress Janet McTeer, and a nomination for Best Makeup.

With that, we present Stephanie’s review of “Albert Nobbs”:

“Albert Nobbs” is a simple story, about a simple man, who lives a simple life in a simpler (in some ways) time.

Of course, as you may have guessed, that man happens to be a woman.

To their credit, the film, directed by Rodrigo García, based on a short story by George Moore, and adapted by Glenn Close and John Banville, is meticulously reverent of that fact.

There are no cheap laughs.  The plot is as restrained and fastidious with its humor as its protagonist, Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close).

Albert is a waiter at Morrison’s Hotel in 19th century Dublin.  He works hard and keeps to himself.  He counts his pennies and makes plans of the practical sort.

It’s only after an uncomfortable encounter with an unwelcome roommate, after what we  what we can assume has been many years of a very solitary existence, that Albert begins to see the world for all that it could be.  Perhaps, a tobacco shop of his own.

His forced bedfellow, Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), has something in common with Albert.  Both have sought refuge from a world that took advantage of them.  Are they hiding or is this who they were always meant to be?  That’s a question left for you to answer.

One thing is certain, both of these women are truly brilliant as the men and women they portray.  As Albert, Close is quiet, innocent, curious, intelligent, and ever-vigilant.  McTeer’s Hubert is big, loud, emotional, flirtatious, and honest.  They are an unlikely duo, with chemistry that makes them impossible to ignore.  There can be no doubt that their numerous nominations (and still possible victories) have been well deserved.

Of course it’s not just a shared gender (and concealment) that Albert finds intriguing.  He is surprised and inspired when he discovers that Hubert is married, to a woman.  He begins courting Helen (Mia Wasikowska), a maid at the hotel who is simultaneously being “courted” by Joseph (Aaron Johnson), hoping to create a life that he can call normal.

Taking place at a hotel, the setting allows for an ensemble cast of sorts.   Jonathan Rhys Myers, Brendan Gleeson, and Maria Doyle Kennedy, to name a few, all inhabit the world of Albert and the hotel.

And what a world it is.  It’s solemn but whimsical.  It’s respectful but just a bit irreverent.  It’s groundbreaking but completely routine.  It’s tragic but inspiring.  It is “Albert Nobbs.”

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