Bright, entertaining and touching, this re-uniting of collaborators sports lush sets and costumery and Oscar level acting by several of the cast.
Cannes Film Festival winner director Rodrigo Garcia (“Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her”—1999) has accomplished a major leap forward in quality with this film. Based on the turn-of-the-century short story by George Moore, this cinematic adaptation (screenplay by Glenn Close and John Banville) may be Close’s best performance, and one of the best films of the year.
Apparently, Close fell in love with the titular character after playing him in the 1982 stage production of the story. Since then she has doggedly pursued the film version of the story in the face of increasingly negative responses from those with the gold (the monetary gold, not the Oscar gold). When she stands up in the Academy Award Ceremony for this film, it all will have been worth it.
The screenplay is excellent; however, it is the acting, sets, costumes, and the simple, heart-grabbing story, that makes this movie a joy to watch. Glenn Close plays Albert Nobbs, a head butler / maitre’d in a bourgeoisie hotel in 19th century Ireland. Times are tough and there are not enough jobs for even the men, let alone the women.
The stranglehold of Catholicism further ensures that men will get the paying jobs and women, at least those of any virtue, will be at home with the babies. Albert is forced to permanently disguise herself as a man to land her first waiter’s job and has kept up the disguise ever since.
This movie walks a deliciously tight line in declaring itself as neither a pro-gay nor an anti-gay vehicle. Another lesbian woman character in the story has been able to live a happy life, under wraps. However, the story avoids giving Albert full license to live out her dream. In fact, it is not clear Albert wants a lesbian relationship, even though she has reason enough to hate men (she has reason to hate women, as well). However, she is desperately lonely. She seems to be more in search of human companionship than anything sexual.
The main goal of her life is to start a tobacconist’s shop in the city. This will allow her to be an independent businessperson, use the brain with which she was born and have some control over her relationships, in their many possible variations. She has scrimped and saved money for years and is on the verge of sealing the deal through her agent, Dr. Holloran (Brendan Gleeson).
In the course of her employment she is confronted with the seed of an idea, to say the least, regarding a solution to her loneliness. As the wheels start rolling, loving and fighting couple Helen and Joe (Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson) enter the scene. Joe’s traumatic childhood under a drunken father and Helen’s own crisis forces a collision of all hands, and no one will ever be the same.
In the first fifteen minutes, the excellent production is able to convey the desperation of the times and therefore the courage and conviction of Albert. This is done through the use of excellent sets and costumes and the demonstration of a few prime reasons why one never wanted to be out of work at that time in history, no matter how low the pay and how disgusting the job.
The higher up one looks on the food chain in this film, the lousier the people get. Only the strong survive, or, rather, hustle is the name of the game. By the way, it is a lethal game.
The story start with funny and engaging “Upstairs, Downstairs” routines that get the audience acquainted with the people at the hotel. A great, too short, performance by Brendan Gleeson as the local doctor, and Pauline Collins as Mrs. Baker).
This followed by the introduction of Janet McTeer in a role you will never forget. Close has four times the screen time as does McTeer, but Janet threatens to steal the show anyway. Her performance exemplifies the overall level of excellence in the supporting acting in this film. The supporting acting makes the lead look good, and Close looks stupendous.
As the going gets rough, Joe and Amanda must get money (predictable), a typhoid epidemic sweeps though the city (not predictable) and the results provide an ending that is powerful and completely devoid of the depressing homilies one starts to expect about halfway through. Surprise, it is possible to mend a broken heart even in the worst of times and under the worst of circumstances.
This film goes well beyond the expectations for the ordinary period drama. It pokes fun at gender stereotypes, cultural stereotypes and religious stereotypes while stressing the power to excel that is in us all. You will hear about this one in the Oscars.
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Director: Rodrigo García
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