“You don’t have to be anything but who you are”
Close’s sixth and most recent Academy Award nomination came with 2011’s Albert Nobbs, a project with which she has been closely connected since starring in an adaptation of George Moore’s novella in 1982. As a producer and co-writer with John Banville, it’s clearly a labour of love for Close and along with co-star Janet McTeer, there’s some powerfully accomplished acting going on here, directed by Rodrigo García, that was rightfully recognised, with nominations at least, in that award season.
It is, however, not the most vivacious piece of writing you’ll come across. Nobbs is a butler in a small Dublin hotel run by Pauline Collins’ Margaret Baker in the late 19th century, which caters to the various whims of a carousing upper class (Jonathan Rhys Meyer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, John Light, Phyllida Law among the bisexual and bolshy). Reclusive but dedicated, Nobbs has been squirelling away wages and tips for years with the hope of purchasing his own business, there’s just the small matter of a little secret that is, of course, no secret to us. Continue reading “DVD Review: Albert Nobbs”
