Film– Frida (2002)
Duration– 2h 3m
Director – Julie Taymor
Starring – Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Valeria Golino
Rating – 3.5 / 5
With this beautifully mounted biopic, director Julie Taymor brings forward the life story of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. It might not be a masterpiece but it displays a tale of love, passion and care in a soul touching way which is definitely praise worthy. Strictly meant for adults, this movie will make audiences laugh and cry at various points but one thing is for sure and that is, it will have a moving impact on them. The star-producer, Salma Hayek deserves majority of the credit for portraying the celebrated artist with such dedication and perfection.
The movie, unlike your usual biopics, doesn’t focus entirely on the life of Frida Kahlo but more on her volatile relationship with artist Diego Rivera, portrayed by Alfred Molina and just like Salma Hayek, he has done a brilliant job. The work of the supporting cast is a bit inconsistent; though Valeria Golino impresses as Diego’s ex-wife Lupe but Antonio Banderas and Ashley Judd serve more as fillers and distractions with the little they had to offer in their cameo roles.
The scriptwriters’ choice of letting her personal life overshadowing her artwork for the majority of the film is the biggest problem but Taymor’s directorial approach compensates for this problem by highlighting Kahlo’s work through all of her creative choices. Brilliant cinematography, aesthetic color grading, consistent art design and stunning costumes make the viewing experience soothing to the eyes. The use of digital transitions in the film to bring her paintings to life is praise worthy effort as it adds to the visual appeal of the film.
Another praise-worthy element of the film is the quintessential background score by Elliot Goldenthal which adds that Mexican touch throughout the movie and though much of the movie is based in America, it never lets that Spanish touch fade away from the viewer’s mind.
Overall, there was no shortage of major, compelling moments in Frida thanks to the roles which are played with equal passion and playfulness by Hayek and Molina, who strike a realistic, tough-love couple on screen. It’s definitely a win for Hayek, Molina and director, Taymor and one could adore the costumes, make ups and the score as much but a better script than the existing one could have taken this movie to wholly new levels.
