Glenn Close, one of my favorite actresses, stars
in this strange but gripping film about a nineteenth century Irish woman living
life impersonating a man. Close was nominated for Best Actress, a well-deserved
honor which has eluded her for years. This character was perfect Oscar
material—odd and a bit unappealing, almost like a wax figure of a human living
a stoic, robotic life. At first blush, I decided to forego seeing the movie,
but the wonders of Netflix tempted my husband and me to give it a try. We were fully
prepared to turn it off if the story dipped into the racy and salacious world
of drag queens and transvestites, but it was nothing like that at all. While
there are a few R rated moment, the movie is basically a tender, heart-breaking
tale, with the common theme of a deeply wounded person desperately seeking
love.
The setting is nineteenth century Dublin, where Albert
Nobbs, a strange, androgynous-looking man, works as a waiter in Morrison's
Hotel run by Marge Baker (Pauline Collins). Albert is diligent and hard-working
and saves his money under a loose floorboard in his bedroom, hoping to purchase
a business one day. Quiet and reclusive, Albert has few friends and is viewed
by the other hotel staff as odd and eccentric. One day, a man named Hubert Page
(Janet McTeer) is forced to share a bed with Albert for one night while
painting a room in the hotel. Albert is horrified to have another human in his
room, being especially careful to keep the location of his savings a secret.
But it is the truth regarding his gender that is laid bare. Hubert inadvertently
brings fleas into the bed which starts Albert on a scratching frenzy, causing
him to strip off his shirt. Hubert assures Albert that his true identity will
remain secure, but Albert remains worried that his cover will be blown. The
next day, Hubert sets Albert’s mind at ease by revealing that he too is a
woman, living life as a man.
Hubert tells Albert about her past life—that she
was once married but finally retaliated against her violent and abusive husband.
Instead of trying to survive in a man’s world, where a divorced/separated woman
would be outcast, Hubert took on the identity of a man and lived happily and
successfully as a house painter. Albert is pleased to know another woman who understands
her situation, someone else who is hiding from past pain and just trying to
survive under the social and economic constraints of their day. For the first
time, Albert smiles and shows signs of hope for a better life.
As I watched this movie, I had to stop and
evaluate my thoughts on what was being presented. While I do not condone women
living as men and vice versa, especially in today’s North American society, I was
reminded that it is best to ask why
someone would choose such a lifestyle instead of automatically pointing the
finger and judging wrong behavior. The world may say someone is born with a
genetic predisposition to have certain desires, but in a fallen world where all
men are born into sin, that is no excuse. Besides, the world has been given the
cure for all sin and that is the person of Jesus Christ. But in the case of a
person who doesn’t know the Savior and who has only been exposed to religion
and harsh judgment, a closer examination is required. Why would this lifestyle
be chosen? Could there be a past hurt, a sexual violation that created
confusion or a paralyzing fear that makes that person shun normal intimacy?
With today’s grim statistics on sex abuse, I’m always surprised that finger-pointing
Christians don’t stop to ask these questions and explore whether there may be a
connection. This film very subtly addresses that issue in a beautiful way.
As Albert gets to know Hubert and observes his
happy life, she breaks down and shares her story. All we learn is that she was
once a happy, young woman, but then on a fateful night when a group of young
men abducted and violated her, her entire existence changed. At a time when
hurt and shame was to be buried deep within the heart, never to be unearthed,
Albert Nobbs came to be—a sad, stoic man, bound by a constricting corset and the
fears of being found out. My heart broke, imagining the countless other young
men and women whose innocence has been stripped away so unexpectantly, leaving
deep, emotional wounds that never heal.
There is a wonderful scene where Hubert and
Albert don dresses and bonnets and head to the beach for a stroll. Albert
delights in the sun, wind, and salty spray, running through the sand as a woman
again, experiencing a freedom that she hasn’t experienced in years. And then
suddenly, she trips and falls, a reminder that hurt is in the world, just
waiting to inflict more pain when least expected. The message is clear—for
someone who has been deeply wounded, risking the joys of life as a normal, free
person isn’t worth the cost of being hurt again. As Albert quickly concludes,
it is much safer to hide behind the façade of a false identity and live a
predictable, emotionless existence.
****SPOILER ALERT****
While the movie is touching and sad, it ends on a
high note. Albert finally experiences love, and through his death, provides
true freedom for another young woman and her baby that he never attained. As I
write this review, I have a desire to see the film again to catch all of the
lovely elements that promote this theme of hiding away from past hurts which
preclude a life of love and freedom. For religious people who sour at anyone
struggling in an alternative lifestyle, it would be best to stay away from this
film, because it will offend in every way. But for those who desire to examine
these issues and consider viewing the Albert Nobbs of the world as wounded
victims in need of a Savior, this movie will provide more than entertainment.
Hopefully, it will make you think, feel, and see others in a way you’ve never
seen before, like it did me. Perhaps you will have the courage to show love and
ask some questions of that wounded, hurting person in your sphere of influence
who has chosen rebellion as his or her course. And perhaps you will be the one
who hears their story being told for the very first time.
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