Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- dreamy
- sensual
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- art film night
What critics said
Critics found the fictionalized portrait visually imaginative and emotionally affecting but insufficiently daring and weakened by its contrived resolution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film presents a speculative romance with Lionel Sweeney rather than a strictly documented account of Diane Arbus’s life.
Diane’s encounter with Lionel introduces her to marginalized performers and communities beyond her upper-class domestic life.
Lionel’s hypertrichosis and the film’s community of unconventional people drive Diane’s attraction and artistic awakening.
The 1958 New York apartment, Lionel’s mysterious arrival, and the film’s stylized treatment of hair and freak culture give the biography a fantastical register.
Films like Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, and why
Big Eyes
stylized biographical drama centered on a photographer, artistic identity, and a relationship that challenges social convention
The Shape of Water
period romantic drama about an outsider whose unconventional presence transforms a constrained woman’s life
Sylvia
intimate, psychologically focused portrait of an artist negotiating domestic expectations and creative awakening
Movie Details
- Director
- Steven Shainberg
- Release Date
- 2006-08-30
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (310)
Cast
- Nicole Kidman
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Ty Burrell
- Harris Yulin
- Jane Alexander
- Emmy Clarke
- Genevieve McCarthy
- Boris McGiver
- Marceline Hugot
- Mary Duffy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus about?
- A privileged 1950s housewife discovers artistic freedom and forbidden desire after becoming captivated by a mysterious, hypertrichotic outsider.
- What is Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.
- What did critics think of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus?
- Critics found the fictionalized portrait visually imaginative and emotionally affecting but insufficiently daring and weakened by its contrived resolution.
- Which films are like Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus?
- Films with a similar feel include Big Eyes, The Shape of Water, and Sylvia.
- How long is Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus?
- Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus?
- In United States, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
