Frida (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Julie Taymor

Writers (WGA):

Hayden Herrera (book)
Clancy Sigal (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 November 2002 (Mexico)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Prepare to be seduced

Plot:

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.

Plot Keywords:

Revolutionary | Marriage | Artist | Leon Trotsky | Pain

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

Salma Hayek	...	Frida Kahlo
Mía Maestro	...	Cristina Kahlo (as Mia Maestro)
Amelia Zapata	...	Maid
Alejandro Usigli	...	Professor
Diego Luna	...	Alejandro 'Alex'
Alfred Molina	...	Diego Rivera
Lucia Bravo	...	Auditorium Model
Valeria Golino	...	Lupe Marín
Patricia Reyes Spíndola	...	Matilde Kahlo (as Patricia Reyes Spindola)
Loló Navarro	...	Nanny (as Lolo Navarro)
Roger Rees	...	Guillermo Kahlo
Fermín Martínez	...	Painter on Bus (as Fermin Martinez)
Roberto Medina	...	Dr. Farril
Ashley Judd	...	Tina Modotti
Antonio Banderas	...	David Alfaro Siqueiros

Also Known As:

Frida Kahlo (USA) (working title)
Frida (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Frida (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Фрида (Russia) [ru]
Frida (Serbia) [sr]
Frida (Poland) [pl]
Frida (Greece) [el]
Frida (Brazil) [pt]
Frida (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | Canada | Mexico

Language:

English | French | Russian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:12 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:MG6 | New Zealand:R13 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39203)

Filming Locations:

Barrio del Alto, Puebla, Mexico

Company:

Handprint Entertainment

Trivia:

The whole film was digitally color corrected at 2K resolution.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the opening sequence, Frida is lying in her bed, which has been loaded onto a truck which is driving through Mexico City. She is staring directly upward at the mirror mounted on the underside of the canopy over her bed. In a close-up of her face, we can see her earrings dangling. But they are not dangling toward the ground, but rather toward her feet, indicating that she was upright for the closeup, not lying in bed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Frida Kahlo: Careful, guys. This corpse is still breathing. Try to get me there in one piece.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Clarinet Marmalade

Outstanding!

Usually, when you see a biopic about a famous artist and genius you either get to see a tragic, suffering creature or an idealized God. And often it's always the same: He/she was born, had a difficult childhood, created some masterpieces, had some affairs (usually with actors/actresses or/and musicians) and dies a sad and lonely death. But what a refreshing difference "Frida" was! Frida Kahlo's life was more suffering than joy, yet the movie does not pity her all the time but shows Frida's lust for life, love, art and her husband Diegor Riviera.

It tells the story of a really unusual life: When Frida is a student, young, beautiful, full of live and in love with a gorgeous boy (Diego Luna from "Y tu mama tambien" and "Dirty Dancing – Havanna Nights) she experiences a horrible accident when her bus crashes with a tram. Frida then becomes a cripple for the rest of her life, but through this she experiences herself in a new way and starts to paint, mostly self-portraits where she deals with her pain, her family, political situations and people she loves. Soon after the accident a miracle happens: Frida learns to walk again and the first thing she does is to visit the famous artist and painter Diego Rivera to ask his opinion about her paintings – the beginning of an unusual and often complicated love story that should last a lifetime.

We get to learn a woman who experiences so many tragic things in life that it should be enough to commit suicide, yet she never gives up, grows stronger and one thing that certainly helps her through hard times is her wit, her dignity and her love for life and art. She takes what she wants and needs (which also includes love affairs with men and women) but has also a lot to give. Plus her works, so honest, brutal but also beautiful in their truth, reveal one of the greatest talents of our time.

A whole lot of this movie works of course through its female protagonist, whose role is not that easy and a real challenge sometimes. The wonderful and graceful Salma Hayek, who is immensely gifted, does really great work here and awakes Frida and her world to life again. Hayek perfectly holds the balance between triumphs and losses, joy and sorrow, madness and daily routine, life and death. She is just a pleasure to watch, she doesn't play Frida, she IS Frida. Another important character is of course Diego Rivera, the greatest love of Frida's life. Alfred Molina, a great British actor, is perfectly casted for this role and besides, has a remarkable resemblance to the real Diego. Outstanding performances also by the supporting cast: Valeria Golino, Ashley Judd (with a great imitation of the Mexican accent), Geoffrey Rush and Edward Norton.

Frida – a feast for the senses full of life and exploding emotions and a tribute to a truly unique and remarkable woman, who was the greatest female artist of the last century!