Rent Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)

Excellent Art House Romance! - Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus review by CS

Knowing nothing about the subject or the artist I simply thought the trailer looked interesting. Set towards the end of the 50's in America, a time of emergence for artists like Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, This is an imaginary portrait of the Photographer, over a very short three month period in her life, set early on in her career, or should I say right at the start. As these experiences clearly give her the impetus to become who she was and to explore her artistic nature. Sadly the film does not really explore who she actually was in great detail nor who she became, it doesn't touch upon her later career at al, so I still haven't a clue really as to who she is or was, in relation to the Art Scene in America? However putting that aside, this also explores a hidden underworld of people who feel shunned by society, freaks who don't fit in to 50's American norms! It's a really touching and creative portrait of people and how they interact within relationships, a bit of a love triangle story, but very well crafted. The story, direction, photography, set pieces and acting are all very well done and there is a real sense of humanity in the portrayal of the characters. Kidman, Downey and Tyrell all give great performances and lend this a really strong sense of depth and realism. This is not a mainstream hollywood blockbuster, people into action movies and horror or meaningless Marvel Comic Book heroes possibly won't be drawn to a film like this. Personally I found this quite a touching story with great humility and this is an example of one of the reasons why I am a member of Cinema Paradiso, for great well constructed pieces like this!