Fur:
An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

This film is © by Picturehouse, 2006

Starring:

Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus
Robert Downey Jr. as Lionel Sweeney
Ty Burrell as Allan Arbus
Jane Alexander as Gertrude Nemerov
Harris Yulin as David Nemerov
Emmy Clarke as Grace Arbus

Directed by: Steven Shainberg

RATING:

Fur is an artistic movie about an artist. Diane Arbus was a 20th century photographer greatly acclaimed for her front running work with dark and mysterious undertones. This film tries to pay homage to her not by presenting a straight forward biography but rather use an artistic approach using a fictional tale to sort of represent her life. If you are a fan of true human drama then this might turn you off right away. I thought this could still work on some level if there was enough depth present. While the movie does present Diane as a bit complex, her character is not fleshed out well enough for the viewer to get some sort of understanding of the woman behind the camera. The plot is fairly simple and therefore only a few notions of who Diane was are presented.

The acting in this film is good even though the actors don't really have too much to go on. Nicole Kidman does a great job in her role; the problem is her role has so little to offer. Her character is the main focus of this movie where a simple story does not do much for development. The basic premise of the film is the relationship Diane builds with Lionel, her neighbor who happens to be a bit of a freak. It is evident that she is somewhat disconnected from everyday life and she is drawn to things that are different and weird. That's about it. While her parents, husband, and daughters are interjected in the story, her relationship with them is not really explored enough. A bizarre love triangle emerges and where that leaves Diane and her husband is not really clear. While the plot is a bit disappointing the good acting does help hold the movie together.

Since the story here is simple it manages to move along rather well throughout the film. The plot flows well and will not make the viewer impatient at any time. The setting of early 20th century New York is also presented well. This film had a great deal of potential but perhaps the screen writer's approach to simplify the main character is the movie's downfall. If you don't know much about Diane Arbus before seeing this film you will know just as much after seeing it. While this is a mayor disappointment, the film remains a decent viewing experience because of other factors. If approached as purely a work of fiction this movie can be enjoyed on some level even if the plot is pretty simple.

If you want to see a biography or learn more about the artist then I would definitely not recommend this movie. It will truly disappoint on that level. If you want to see something a bit different yet not too complicated then it may be worth your time. I did enjoy the performances of Ty Burrell and Nicole Kidman even though their characters were limited. This movie is not bad but there is nothing special here, it is a straight forward tale that resembles many other movies. The fact that one of the main characters is a bit of a freak might be different but even that is not too interesting in this movie. Toss this in the "average movie" pile and be done with it.