Film Review: FUR, AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANA ARBUS

I was not familiar with the name Diana Arbus before watching this film and I’m still not familiar with her being that the film FUR, AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANA ARBUS does little in the way of telling a complete story of the female photographer. Instead, the film tries to tell the story of the events that inspired Arbus to become the photographer she is known as.

This “imaginary portrait” tells the story of housewife Diana (Nicole Kidman) who suddenly becomes smitten with her new and mysterious neighbor Lionel Sweeney (Robert Downey, Jr.). Through this extraordinary affair Diana will learn the true meaning of passion and beauty, which has been missing from her life with her husband and children. What separates Diana from taking full advantage of her relationship with Lionel is the fact that Lionel suffers from a rare disease that causes his hair to grow all over his body at an alarming rate thus rendering him looking like a “dog-faced freak” which he used to do in the halcyon days of old. Now Lionel hides away from the world in masks only coming out when in the company of other people like himself who also possess questionable sexual desires.

Directed by Steven Shainberg (who directed the exceptional SECRETARY), FUR is an erotic film in desire in the most peculiar way (just like that of SECRETARY). The film works so well because of the chemistry between Kidman and Downey who ignite the screen and this coming from Downey who is in make up for almost the entire film. Their relationship is so strong that it overcomes the shortcomings of the script.

Although not a perfect film, FUR is a very revealing portrait of a society ruled by sexual taboos which makes for interesting viewing regardless of who stars in it.