Don't Always Say No to Fur
August 31st 2010 05:55
I've recently gotten into photography. And I thought I'd check out Steven Shainberg's "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus" starring Nicole Kidman. (Shainberg directed 2002 breakout indie hit "Secretary" starring Maggie Gyllenhaal.) It's based on real life American photographer, Diane Arbus. I was vaguely familiar with her because I had seen some of her photographs, mainly, the one of the twins and the one with a small boy holding a grenade in the park. See below:
The film isn't a true-to-fact biography of Arbus. Instead, it's a creative non-fictional piece on how Shainberg envisioned Arbus' move from commercial art director to photographer of the marginalized. Arbus was famous for her black and white portraits of individuals on society's fringe, including circus people, transvestites, nudists and otherwise "deviant" people.
Because I wanted to know more about Arbus, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't more biographical. But that disappointment was short lived once I saw the director's visual direction for the film. The entire 2 hours was visually captivating, which makes sense considering it's a film about photography and aesthetics. There are scenes where the room decor, clothing and camera framing truly take center stage. It made it clear that this is Shainberg's very polished imagination instead of a real life representation. But it doesn't come off as too wild. It has just enough of an air to it to make me wonder, is this real, could this have happened? And not only wondering if it was possible, but hoping it was so.
Kidman does an outstanding job of being torn between her ready-made, 50s Americana life, and the pull of her own desires for something more unique, more strange. Her husband, Allan Arbus, played by Ty Burrell, plays his role of being left behind to a tee. At first, he wants to indulge his wife. The he wants to understand. Then he realizes that he is not part of this indulgence--he just can't be. Then he loses her. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as Lionel Sweeney, a man suffering from hypertrichosis (extreme body hair) who captivates Arbus' eye and heart. This was a pleasant change considering my dislike for Downey after Iron Man.
I definitely recommend this film if you're in the mood for something a little strange and little lovely. Have a glass of wine--or even better, some fancy champagne cocktail--and indulge.
The film isn't a true-to-fact biography of Arbus. Instead, it's a creative non-fictional piece on how Shainberg envisioned Arbus' move from commercial art director to photographer of the marginalized. Arbus was famous for her black and white portraits of individuals on society's fringe, including circus people, transvestites, nudists and otherwise "deviant" people.
Because I wanted to know more about Arbus, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't more biographical. But that disappointment was short lived once I saw the director's visual direction for the film. The entire 2 hours was visually captivating, which makes sense considering it's a film about photography and aesthetics. There are scenes where the room decor, clothing and camera framing truly take center stage. It made it clear that this is Shainberg's very polished imagination instead of a real life representation. But it doesn't come off as too wild. It has just enough of an air to it to make me wonder, is this real, could this have happened? And not only wondering if it was possible, but hoping it was so.
Kidman does an outstanding job of being torn between her ready-made, 50s Americana life, and the pull of her own desires for something more unique, more strange. Her husband, Allan Arbus, played by Ty Burrell, plays his role of being left behind to a tee. At first, he wants to indulge his wife. The he wants to understand. Then he realizes that he is not part of this indulgence--he just can't be. Then he loses her. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as Lionel Sweeney, a man suffering from hypertrichosis (extreme body hair) who captivates Arbus' eye and heart. This was a pleasant change considering my dislike for Downey after Iron Man.
I definitely recommend this film if you're in the mood for something a little strange and little lovely. Have a glass of wine--or even better, some fancy champagne cocktail--and indulge.
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