MovieChat Forums > Downloading Nancy (2009) Discussion > The Husband (Albert) - SPOILERS

The Husband (Albert) - SPOILERS

posted 12 years ago by haveyoumetchristie
5 replies | jump to latest

Did anyone else get the feeling that he is someone who has to be in control at all times? He seemed to keep things very orderly - whether it was he or Nancy, someone was keeping their home nearly spotless - and when everything with Nancy went out of control (to him, probably when she didn't return), he fought for and lost control of himself, resulting in his beating Louis.

In my opinion, he didn't call police when Nancy did not return after a few days because he did not want to believe that she was gone for good. He was determined to live his life as normally as he could (the fighting for control part) until she returned, and when Louis showed up with her necklace instead, I think he beat him because he lost control and he realized he would not get it (or her) back. I debated while watching, because his behavior seemed alternatively as though he was upset because actually cared/started to care about her/started to care about her again and because he lost his wife/someone who was supposed to be there for him.

Also - this isn't so much related to Albert as Nancy - didn't Nancy tell Louis that she had met with many (I think she said hundreds, but I'm not sure) other men, and that they had all failed to go through with her plan? She also made it seem as if she never leaves her house. Do you think she was just exaggerating to Louis, she was lying to her therapist, or both/other? I kind of wondered if the reason why Albert didn't immediately worry about her leaving is because she'd done it before (maybe not for this length of time, but still), which would make sense if she really had met with all of those other men.

Sorry if this post is hard to read. If you have problems with it, just let me know and I'll try to break it down/explain it better.

"Life is a holiday! Let us live it together!" - Guido Anselmi, 8½

[–] ARH 12 years ago

I agree about Albert being controlling.

Nancy did tell Louis that she met other guys. I'm certain that she didn't say "hundreds" though. I think she said "lots of." I believe that she was telling the truth. I got the impression that she rarely left the house, but the movie made it obvious that she spent a lot of time communicating with people via the internet. Her husband probably thought nothing of her going to meet people she had met online. In fact he tells his friends that she was "visting friends in Baltimore."

[–] SaliceMcD 9 years ago

When he read the note she left about going to Baltimore, he repeated it aloud - "BALtimore??" - seemingly baffled about why she'd go there. He was just saving face with his golf buddies - *and* preventing them from pressuring him to call the police - by saying she was visiting friends there.

[–] draugwenL 10 years ago

Yes, Albert is very much so someone who needs control. That's why he married Nancy in the first place, she was easy to control because of her childhood trauma. That's why he showed no emotions when Nancy tried to talk about her infertility. That's why he reacts the way he does when Nancy tries to food fight. And as you mentioned, it's why he doesn't report Nancy's disappearance, and it's also why he is so controlled and calm around Louis when he appears around the golfing buddies. Even then he refuses to let cracks in his facade, despite his wifes killer, then he only definitively knew he was connected to her disappearance, being right in front of him. He couldn't let the golf buddies know exactly how far gone his house was.

I'm pretty sure Nancy said she had screened hundreds of guys before she settled on Louis. That would indicate she had hundreds of responses (probably people with extreme fetishes) that ultimately backed out or didn't fit her "criteria'. I also think Albert thought Nancy would come back. It's possible that in a fit of emotion, Nancy might have run off once or twice before, to return later. He also is so uninterested with his wife's wellbeing that he could have just not noticed until he was all "wait, she's been gone all day yesterday AND today, that's weird." He also could have thought she was cheating on him and was unconcerned about it.

I still believe that peace and plenty and happiness can be worked out some way. I am a fool.

[–] lishol7-1 10 years ago

I didn't get the feeling Albert was controlling. I'm really surprised at the consensus. My opinion was that Albert was just self-absorbed. He was absolutely unaware of what was going on in his marriage. Aside from his non-treatment and apathy toward Nancy. I get the feeling he hadn't always been like that - that Nancy had worn him down and the only thing he could yes, "control" was his work. If he were controlling, when he found Nancy's note, he would have tried to track her down from the beginning, which, of course, would have changed the theme of the movie.

I will say, the most memorable scene (with Albert) in the movie was the dinner scene. I know he couldn't have always eaten like that. LOL It was the funniest "unintentional" eating scene I've ever seen. And he ate it with a straight face. LOL.

Yes, they didn't know how to communicate with each other at all. I'm sure a therapist could sit and figure a lot of this stuff out.

I thought maybe think he had a touch of OCD. Washing his hands, etc. Now I'm thinking more Aspergers Syndrome.

[–] ravensrayne 9 years ago

Good point about ocd, and the fact that he didn't make much effort to find her. I don't know why people keep failing to see how she used outrageous behaviour to manipulate people into giving her the treatment she wanted. That sort of behaviour does wear people down, and I think his apathy is one of the results as well.