Dir: Steven Shainberg
With: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr, Ty Burrell

AMONG the prizes Steven Shainberg picked up for Secretary, his kooky, S&M-among-the-filing-cabinets comedy, was the Independent Spirit Award. His ease with edgier subjects seemed to make him the ideal choice to direct a movie about Diane Arbus, the photographer who focussed on the world of outsiders, particularly people with extreme disabilities.

Nicole Kidman, in another bold career move, plays Arbus. When we meet her it's the 1950s and she is a bored wife and mother, helping to run her husband's photography studio in New York.

The arrival of a new neighbour (Robert Downey Jr) arouses her curiosity, but Lionel, who suffers from hypertrichosis, or excessive body hair, is wary of strangers. The two eventually form a bond, and as he draws her into his alternative social circle, she starts to feel more at ease with this new family than her old one.

Those looking for a conventional biopic of Arbus won't find it here. This, as the subtitle tells us, is "an imaginary portrait", full of hints and metaphors. For all its attempts at daring, it is not quite brave or imaginative enough to do justice to such a complex and controversial, figure. Suggesting Arbus took up her particular obsessions because once upon a time some people were nice to her is a thuddingly literal explanation of her artistry.

Though some parts are very silly, Shainberg's beautifully styled film nevertheless sneaks up on the viewer and exerts a hold. Kidman and Downey Jr are a watchable pair, his obvious relish of the more outlandish scenes throwing her slight uneasiness into sharp relief. It won't be to everyone's taste, and Downey's appearance takes some getting used to, but it's an arresting attempt to pin down an intriguing woman.

GFT, Fri Mar 16-29.