FILM NAME: Fur: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus

FILM COMPANY: Picturehouse

DIRECTOR: Steven Shainberg

PRINCIPAL ACTORS: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr., Ty Burrell

DATE OF RELEASE: Nov. 10 2006

GENRE: Drama, Biography, Fantasy

FILM LENGTH: 2 hrs.

RATING: R

WEBSITE: http://www.furmovie.com/

REVIEWED BY: Emily Axelson

4.5 stars/ 5 stars

Fur: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus. The title says it all. It’s imaginative, artistic, and completely original. A not-quite biography of photographer Diane Arbus, this film does something I’ve never seen before. It’s based on the story of Diane Arbus, but it’s what the filmmaker would imagine happened to her. It’s fictional, but maybe not. Deeply stunning, Fur will have the viewer thinking and wondering from beginning to end.

Nicole Kidman plays Diane Arbus, an unusual housewife searching for meaning in her seemingly empty life. Her husband is a big time photographer for fashion, and she isn’t able to relate with anyone. She is inexplicably fascinated by “freaks” and is immediately intrigued when she meets Lionel, (Robert Downey Jr.). She first sees him when he’s moving into her apartment building. Lionel suffers from a rare disease which causes him to have fur growing all over his body. The moment she sees him, she is captivated by him and has this urge to take a portrait picture of him. The next day, she visits his apartment and instantly connects with him. Neither of them have been understood their whole life, but when they meet, they both understand each other completely. She then begins a small career of photographing “freaks” as a result of her interest in them. Lionel and Diane form a friendship, and are both entirely mesmerized by each other. They begin to spend as much time together as possible, causing Diane’s husband, (Ty Burrell) to become suspicious. Being the loving and trusting husband he is, he thinks nothing of it, trusting that Diane would never hurt him. She wouldn’t, and she tries to resist temptation, but is she strong enough?

Despite the not-so-good reviews of Fur: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus, I enjoyed it very much. This fake biography, is totally believable, unique, and artsy. I can definitely understand why some people wouldn’t like it, being so incredibly imaginative; some people would find it over the top and peculiar. Personally, I like the unusual movies that make you think the entire time, and to me, it wasn’t too much. If it was any less imaginative, it wouldn’t have got the point across so effectively, and wouldn’t interest the viewer to the same extent. A mix of an adult romance story, and a children’s fairytale, this movie is beautifully acted, directed, and written and exemplifies what inner beauty is. It reminded me of the Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Using the same storyline, and the same moral, I saw this film as an adult version of the classic fairytale. Another outstanding aspect that added to the film overall, was the music which suited the scenes and the story perfectly. The soundtrack added an arty, fantasy mood that probably wouldn’t have been established quite as well without it. Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. acted terrifically together, and their complete and utter fascination with each other causes the audience to be in fascination of them equally. Definitely worth seeing if you like edgier and more unique movies, fairytales, or fantasy movies.