Albert Nobbs

"A man with a secret. A woman with a dream."

2011 1h 53m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 538

Drama

Synopsis

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Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.

“A man with a secret. A woman with a dream.”

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Cast

Glenn Close
Albert Nobbs
Mia Wasikowska
Helen Dawes
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Joe Mackins
Janet McTeer
Hubert Page
Pauline Collins
Margaret Baker
Brenda Fricker
Polly
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Viscount Yarrell
Brendan Gleeson
Dr. Holloran

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rodrigo García
Writers: Glenn Close, Gabriella Prekop, John Banville
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, France, Ireland, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: United States of America, France, Ireland, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rodrigo García, shot by Michael McDonough. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brian Byrne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Steven Weisberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Close and Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Taylor-Johnson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A man with a secret. A woman with a dream.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rodrigo García directs. Michael McDonough behind the camera. Brian Byrne scores. Steven Weisberg cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, France, Ireland, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 15 years ago.
3International production across 4 countries: United States of America, France, Ireland, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Rodrigo García, shot by Michael McDonough. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Brian Byrne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Steven Weisberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Glenn Close and Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Taylor-Johnson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A man with a secret. A woman with a dream.".
9IMDB entry: tt1602098 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael McDonough
Original score: Brian Byrne
Editing: Steven Weisberg
Production design: Patrizia von Brandenstein
Costume design: Pierre-Yves Gayraud
Makeup / hair: Lynn Johnson
Stunt coordinator: Joe Condren
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $5,634,828
Return: 70% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Albert Nobbs (2011)

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Rodrigo García

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2022-08-07
★ 4/10
Glenn Close shone in one of the most interesting films she's made in recent years. Glenn Close is undoubtedly a great actress, with a lot of credit, even if she has terrible bad luck at the Oscars, with eight nominations and eight letdowns. I've seen several works that she really puts a lot of effort into, and this film is just one more. She had already played the same character on Broadway before, but this time in addition to being an actress, she was still dedicated to scriptwriting, production and other details. So, the film entirely bears the imprint of this great artist. Based on a fictional text, the film introduces us to a mature woman who, after a life of difficulties, decided to hide her gender and disguise herself as a man in order to work. So, Albert Nobbs is a shy and withdrawn woman who never lived a full life because of this lie. Her dream is to save enough to start her own business. He finally meets someone in a similar situation to her and gains the courage to woo Helen Dawes, a chambermaid at the same hotel where he works... but she's not entirely genuine in the way she lets herself be wooed. She has a boyfriend who is interested in Nobbs' savings. The film has an excellent initial premise and that works very well, but the truth is that the characters are too dense for a film that I would classify as a “light drama” given the inability to create a more tense and more serious atmosphere. To make things more difficult, the film is extremely slow and most of the characters don't evoke any sympathy, and they weren't particularly well-thought-out. The strongest point of the whole film is Close's enormous multipurpose exercise, who writes a song for the film, helps with the script, produces and still acts wonderfully. She gives Nobbs a typically British composure and sheer shyness that I thought suited the character. Mia Wasilowska does what she can and makes the most of her beauty and charm, but the character seems shallow and uninteresting. Aaron Johnson doesn't look bad to me either, but the truth is that he, like Pauline Collins and Janet McTeer, had almost no screen time. They are actors who have been set aside. Technically, the film has low-key production values and successfully seeks to set its story in the Dublin city of the late 19th century. The props, costumes and sets are what you would expect in a good movie. Cinematography is average, editing is not very good, dialogue is decent but not particularly good. The soundtrack has moments of quality and a lot of inspiration.

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