Albert Nobbs

Set around the turn of the 20th century Dublin, Glenn Close is Albert Nobbs - a woman who has been posing as a man to work as a waiter/butler at a fancy hotel in order to raise enough money to start her own business.

Times are tough, employers have no respect for the employees, and jobs are not easily found (sound familiar?), so Nobbs does everything to keep her secret and her job. However, this lonely lifestyle is about to be upended by the arrival of two new employees, Joe (Aaron Johnson) and Hubert (Janet McTeer), who might expose her secret.

Will Albert be unmasked?

Will she reach her goals?

Close earned that Oscar nomination, and seeing the movie will convince you of it as she gives the performance of a lifetime. It is amazing to watch the look in her eyes conveying the fear and terror of possibly being caught, the dream of living a better life and the hope of having some sort of human connection after a rough life of pain and suffering. For a character who is emotionally stunted, Close wonderfully makes those emotions clear.

I know McTeer earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but I was more impressed by Mia Wasikowska's performance as a young lady working at the hotel who has spirit and a love of life, but who might have all of that taken away. We see the path her life likely is to take, but root for her to find a way to overcome destiny, especially as she gets caught up in a questionable situation.

Albert Nobbs might not be your first choice when thinking about which movie to see, but you should be daring and take a chance.

Albert Nobbs is rated R for some sexuality, brief nudity and language.