Albert Nobbs

The latest effort from Rodrigo Garcia, Albert Nobbs follows the title character (Glenn Close), a turn-of-the-century woman who has spent years working as a male butler, as her orderly existence is threatened by the arrival of a scrappy newcomer (Aaron Johnson’s Joe). There’s little doubt that Albert Nobbs fares best in its opening half hour, as Garcia does a superb job of initially establishing this very specific time and place – with the inherently compelling atmosphere heightened by Close’s consistently riveting performance. The actress effortlessly steps into her character’s repressed shoes and transforms Nobbs into an undeniably fascinating figure, which is certainly no small feat given the relative paucity of dialogue that the character has been afforded. Garcia’s obvious patience in telling this story does become increasingly problematic, however, with the movie’s lack of narrative thrust never more evident than in its disappointingly stagnant midsection – as Garcia emphasizes the exploits of two relatively uninteresting figures (Johnson’s Joe and Mia Wasikowska’s Helen). The pervasively sedate atmosphere ultimately lends the proceedings an oppressive quality that renders its positive attributes moot, with the viewer’s growing disinterest ensuring that the film is simply unable to pack the emotional punch that Garcia has clearly intended. The end result is nothing more than a showcase for Close’s admittedly stirring performance, which is certainly disappointing given the strength of such past Garcia efforts as Nine Lives and Mother and Child.

** out of ****