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FUR: AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANE ARBUS
Directed by: Steven Shainberg.
Produced by: William Pohlad, Laura Bickford, Bonnie Timmermann, & Andrew Fierberg.
Written by: Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the book “Diane Arbus: A Biography” by Patricia Bosworth.
Director of Photography: Bill Pope.
. Edited by: Keiko Deguchi & Kristina Boden.
Music by: Carter Burwell.
Released by: Picturehouse.
Country of Origin: USA. 122 min. Rated R.
With: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr., Ty Burrell, Harris Yulin, Jane Alexander, Emmy Clarke, Genevieve McCarthy, & Boris McGiver.

Every so often a film comes along that falls so far off the track one can’t help but stare at the mess that’s been made. Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus is visually intriguing, combining dreamlike settings with a convincing recreation of mid-20th century New York City. And yet, for all its attraction, the film is cold, distant, and surprisingly tedious.

It uses Diane Arbus, one of the most famous photographers of the century, as an outlet for the audience to mingle with a supporting cast straight out of a Tod Browning film. The opening credits tell us the film is not a historical biography, but that it “invents characters and situations that reach beyond reality.” This is the film’s first misstep. Dwarfism, gigantism, and a woman without arms are not necessarily surreal visions which cause us to question what is real and what is fantasy. A similar tactic was used to greater effect earlier this year in The Last King of Scotland, where we see a historical portrayal through the eyes of a fictional character. But Fur is stuck in an unfortunate quagmire, since Arbus' subjects are just as lackluster as her portrayal.

Director Steven Shainberg, whose previous effort was the biting and witty Secretary (2002), shows signs of ambition here, but every good setup is defeated by moments that seem to linger on so we can stare at Arbus supposedly gaining inspiration. Not helping matters much is a stoic Nicole Kidman, who’s given similar performances in better films (Birth will immediately come to mind). Robert Downey Jr. plays the main object of Diane’s affections (and suffering from a condition that wouldn’t be right to reveal, but one that’s difficult to take seriously). The film largely imagines what may have been in Arbus’ mind as she began her career, but it never gives reason to why she finds her subjects fascinating. She’s given access to the abnormal and has an affinity for nudity, but the film fails to dig deeper and ultimately provokes more needless questions than it provides answers. Michael Belkewitch
November 10, 2006