Glenn Close in a scene from Rodrigo Garcia's Albert Nobbs.

Verdict: Three/Five

Shot in Victorian Dublin, with an Oscar buzz surrounding its lead actor Glenn Close, a very strong supporting cast and author John Banville on the screenplay credits, there is a lot to be excited about in this exploration of gender-bending in Victorian Dublin.

Directed by Colombian Rodrigo García, the film is an ensemble period drama set mainly in the Dublin hotel where Albert Nobbs has lived and worked as a man for the past 17 years, her secret undetected.

Her life of self-imposed exile and secrecy is opened to exciting possibilities after she is forced to share her room one night with Hubert, a lanky house painter played by Janet McTeer, who shares a similar secret to Nobbs.

The stifled little butler is stunned that Hubert has made such seeming success of being a man, even taking a wife. It gives Nobbs something to aspire to and she directs her attention to set about emulating Hubert.

Intrigued by the premise, I initially keenly observed Close’s curious cross-dressing butler. Shy and totally without charisma – she is a completely repressed character who seems intent on blending into the wallpaper. Her tiny birdlike voice, thoughtful nature and sad eyes demand the audience to consider what drove her to make the decision to live her life as a man.

Indeed, peering into Close’s eyes, we get a sense of how much Nobbs has gone through in order to reinvent herself so fundamentally.

However, by the time it becomes apparent she is living the lie out of economic necessity rather than confusion over gender issues or sexuality, the character appears increasingly dull. As the plot around her develops further and we get a glimpse into her hopes and dreams, she appears simple-minded and humourless.

Brendan Gleeson offers some comic relief as a mildly alcoholic live-in doctor; Pauline Collins is great as a the mean but flirtatious hotel manager and Australian Mia Wasikowska is radiant as the young maid who is the object of Nobbs’ unromantic attentions.

Dublin seems cold and unforgiving and dreams of a better life in America envelope the film’s younger characters.

Although there is plenty to admire in Close’s performance, there is little reason to identify with her character’s fate, which makes this promising movie a bit of a drag.