Rated R, 113 minutes
In 19th-century Ireland, painfully shy butler Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) hides an incredible secret: He is really a she. Terrified that someone will discover her identity, Albert keeps a very low profile, until the arrival of Hubert Page (Janet McTeer) who shares some qualities with Albert. Hubert is also secretly a woman and has managed to find a partner who helps her maintain her masquerade. Hoping to find a similar arrangement, Albert begins wooing a hotel maid (Mia Wasikowska). "Albert Nobbs" is a low-budget, well-acted period drama and labor of love from leading lady (or man?) Close, who spent years trying to get it made. Involving yet pensive, "Nobbs" isn't the uplifting, feel-good film its trailers make it out to be, but its emotionally rich performances will keep you engaged. Close gives a stoic, mannered performance as Nobbs that quietly centers the film, though the film's more memorable turn comes from McTeer (the film's best scene is Hubert's somewhat shocking "reveal" to Albert), a superb British character actress. Both Close and McTeer, who are deservingly nominated for Academy Awards for the film, make "Albert Nobbs" worth seeing.
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