Fur (film)
| Fur | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Steven Shainberg |
| Produced by | Laura Bickford Patricia Bosworth Andrew Fierberg William Pohlad Bonnie Timmermann |
| Written by | Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay) Patricia Bosworth (book) |
| Starring | Nicole Kidman Robert Downey, Jr. Ty Burrell Harris Yulin Jane Alexander |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | Bill Pope |
| Editing by | Kristina Boden Keiko Deguchi |
| Studio | River Road Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Picturehouse |
| Release date(s) | November 10, 2006 |
| Running time | 122 minutes |
| Language | English |
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (also known simply as Fur) is a 2006 film starring Nicole Kidman as iconic American photographer Diane Arbus, who was known for her strange, disturbing images.
Plot synopsis
The cinematic Arbus (Nicole Kidman) is torn between a bizarre relationship with a neighbor suffering from hypertrichosis, Lionel Sweeney (Robert Downey Jr.), and a conventional life with her husband Allan (Ty Burrell), a photographer. An incident with a clogged drain leads her to a relationship with Lionel and entry into a netherworld populated by transvestites, dwarves and others living on the fringes of society.
Cast
- Nicole Kidman - Diane Arbus
- Robert Downey, Jr. - Lionel Sweeney
- Ty Burrell - Allan Arbus
- Harris Yulin - David Nemerov
- Jane Alexander - Gertrude Nemerov
- Emmy Clarke - Grace Arbus
- Genevieve McCarthy - Sophie Arbus
- Boris McGiver - Jack Henry
- Marceline Hugot - Tippa Henry
- Mary Duffy - Althea
Production
For the film, director Steven Shainberg, best known for his kinky indie Secretary, reunited with its screenwriter, Erin Cressida Wilson, who used Patricia Bosworth's book Diane Arbus: A Biography as a source. As its name implies, the film is a fictional account rather than an accurate biography.
Reception
The film holds a 50 score on Metacritic.[1]
The Chicago Tribune gave the film 3 out of 4 stars; "The result is a revelatory, challenging and deeply affecting portrait, anchored by what may be Kidman's most profoundly moving performance."[2]
The Los Angeles Times criticized the "cop-out ending that undercuts its message about the unimportance of surface differences in favor of a glib finalities to have its cake and eat it too." Although the newspaper continued to heap praise on Kidman and Downey Jr; "the remarkable acting of its two stars pulls you back in and keeps you watching. Kidman, the most consistently daring of today's top stars, is exceptionally convincing as someone whose interior process plays out in front of us. And Downey, for the most part using only his soulful, yearning eyes and a silky, urbane voice, creates a man no one could resist. Separately and together, they make us believe the unbelievable."[3]
References
- ^ an imaginary portrait Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus Metacritic. Retrieved on 17 December 2009
- ^ Movie review: 'Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus' Chicago Tribune. 16 November 2006
- ^ http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-et-fur10nov10,0,6171575.story MOVIE REVIEW 'Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus'] LA Times. 10 November 2006
