In 19th century Ireland, it was difficult for a woman alone to make her way in the world. Albert Nobbs is actually a woman who has lived for 30 years as a man in order to obtain employment and to avoid the harassment given to employed women at that time.
Albert works as a waiter in the Morrison Hotel in Dublin and manages to eke out a reasonable existence with the tips he receives. He and other employees at the hotel have living quarters at the Morrison, and we are able to witness Albert squirreling away his meager gratuities under the floor boards in his room. His dream is to buy a Tobacco Shop with living quarters upstairs when he acquires enough money.
Albert is respected by his fellows who view him as a harmless but eccentric gentleman who performs his work flawlessly. Life changes drastically when a temporary worker arrives on the scene to paint the hotel. The painter, Hubert Page, is told by the hotel owner, Mrs. Baker, to room temporarily with Albert.
If the story were not so tragically sad, it would be ludicrous. Hubert discovers that Albert is a woman, then reveals that he too is a woman. They disclose to each other the events leading up to their respective decisions to live as a man. Hubert lives with a woman named Kathleen with whom he is legally married. Albert foresees that perhaps it might be possible to include a wife in his future plans for his Tobacco Shop with the living quarters upstairs.
Glenn Close is so good playing the part of Albert Nobbs that you forget that her character is a woman. She is so good that she was nominated for an Academy heAward and a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
The plot thickens as Albert begins to look at his fellow employee, Helen, as a prospective wife. If Hubert was able to pull it off, he is encouraged to seek the same happiness for himself. The problem is that Helen has become enamored with a new employee, Joe Mackins, who was hired by Mrs. Baker to fix the boiler.
The audience is then privy to a brawl, an unexpected pregnancy, a typhoid epidemic, the hotel’s financial failure, and Albert’s unrealistic dreams. There is no joy in this film; the audience comes away with feelings of pity, sorrow, and disappointment that such tragedy can actually exist in this world. And yet, curiosity drives people to witness this absurdity only to be left wondering whether such a situation could be prevalent.
Sources:
Movie – Albert Nobbs (2011)
www.imdb.com/title/tt1602098
