New York City, 1958; Diane Arbus (Nicole Kidman) is an assistant to her photographer husband (Ty Burrell), but their new, mysterious neighbor (Robert Downey, Jr.) triggers her own interest in the art. Director Steven Shainberg made the controversial Secretary (2002) and this one may also provoke audiences. Not really a biography of Arbus, but a fantasy about how the deviant came to attract her as an artist, a reaction against her conservative upbringing. Good acting, evocative art direction… but it’s hard to care much about what unfolds.
2006-U.S. 120 min. Color. Directed byĀ Steven Shainberg. Cast: Nicole Kidman (Diane Arbus), Robert Downey, Jr. (Lionel Sweeney), Ty Burrell (Allan Arbus), Harris Yulin, Jane Alexander.
Trivia: At one point, Diane Keaton was allegedly considered for the lead. The film was inspired by the Patricia Bosworth biography “Diane Arbus”.
