Albert Nobbs

Cast: Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska

Summary: A woman lives as a man in Ireland to protect himself and earn enough money to purchase his own shop. He meets another woman living as a man, and entertains thoughts of marriage.

100-Word Review: A decent, sometimes good, movie falls short of being a great one. Janet McTeer’s performance is flawless and entirely natural, but while Glenn Close does a convincing job as a man, she doesn’t often do a convincing job as a person. I never felt her disappear into the role. Except for the scenes between Albert and Hubert, I think the movie succeeds more as an intellectual exercise than as a powerful story about emotion and the human condition. (Also, as a fan of Sarah from Upstairs, Downstairs, I was delighted to see Pauline Collins as a fussy, judgmental hotel manager.)