Fur : An imaginary portrait of Diana Arbus

This week I decided to tell every-one about the film
Fur: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) directed by Steven Shainberg who also directed The Secretary.An adaptation of the book by Patricia Bosworth.

Starring two great stars Nicole Kidman (Diane Arbus) and Robert Downey Jnr ( Lionel Sweeney-the furry one!). The movie is based on the legendary photographer Diane Arbus set in 1958. Diane is working as an assistant for her fashion photographer husband Alan. Diane is unhappy with her life as a house wife with two young daughters and also with living in the shadows of her husband and grows a lust for some-thing different leading her to an obsession with the mysterious masked man named Lionel that lives in the same apartment block as her.Diane decides she wants to meet Lionel and take his picture and so each night she goes up the stairs to his apartment but never takes a picture of him.Lionel is covered in hair but this does not frighten or amuse Diane and so they forge a great friendship.He introduces her to all his friends including a dwarf and a woman with no arms.The closer Diane gets to Lionel the further she moves away from her own family.This leads her husband to even go as far as growing a beard to compete with Lionel.The relationship between Lionel and Diane intensifies and she admits that she is in love with him , sadly Lionel is dying.In a very strange and sad scene Diane shaves Lionel completely revealing the man behind the fur and the passion between them takes over.He then begs her to take him to the sea which reluctantly he does bidding each other a tearful good bye Lionel leaves her with a fur coat made from his own hair and also an empty photo album. This was a brilliant film a great adaptation of the book and had a sort of beauty and the beast feel of it!There are a few scenes that will stay with you long after watching the film.Nicole Kidman is great as ever portraying a fragile house wife who evolves into a confident woman. The Gorgeous Robert Downey Jnr. is equally as good as Lionel. What else can I say? Well I will never look at my fur coat in the same way but like most things I enjoy it is definitely worth a second look or a third...................................

Dawn :)