Egad! Worst movie ever.
"Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)"
Absolutely the worst movie I've ever rented from NetFlix! And yes, it's my fault for seeking out the little independent non-Hollywood type movie.
I've always been fascinated by Diane Arbus (the groundbreaking photographer who saw beauty in ugly people and freaks), I'm drawn to Nicole Kidman films, I even admire the work of Robert Downy Jr....but this film was just so dark and ghastly!
It's the 50's in Manhattan and Arbus (Kidman) decides to pursue photography on her own instead of just being her husband's assistant. She becomes intrigued by a new neighbor she sees wearing a mask. He lures her to him by stopping up her bathroom pipes with hair and a key.
She takes her camera upstairs to his garret where she has seen dwarves, drag queens and circus performers tromping up and down the stairs.
The flat is very dark and filled with objets d’exotica...she watches a woman with no arms dust furniture and drink tea using her feet.
Arbus is soon drawn into a flirtation with the neighbor (Downy Jr.), who wears a hood because he has a disease that causes thick hair to grow over every inch of his body, including his face. Without the hood he looks a bit like Lon Chaney's Wolfman, or a very large impeccably groomed Shih Tzu.
Her husband becomes jealous of his rival and grows a beard. Such a daft psychological touch...and she doesn’t even notice. Made me laugh.
The love scenes between Arbus and Fuzzy were done "sensitively"...but I couldn't stop laughing.
I might have laughed harder if I could have heard what they were whispering to each other, but damned if I could hear anything...worst sound engineering ever.
The only good thing I can say about this film is kudos to name actors for their willingness to appear in small, art house type films. Sometimes these films are little jewels...sometimes they're not.
