| FRIDA Rating:  Director: Julie Taymor Producers: Lindsay Flickinger, Sarah Green, Nancy Hardin, Salma Hayek, Jay Polstein, Anna Roth, Roberto Sneider, Lizz Speed Writers: Clancy Sigal, Diane Lake, Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas Director of Photography: Rodrigo Prieto Cast: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
11/03/02
Frida, as evidenced by its 8 producers and 4 screenwriters, is a work of epic proportion (thankfully, in everything but length, as the movie clocks in right around the two hour mark). Directed by Julie Taymor (best known for her Broadway production of The Lion King), Frida is one of those films that screams Oscar from first frame to last -- to the point where the filmmaking comes across a bit contrived. Its razor sharp precision is a testament to the efforts of a group of film professionals, but it also results in a biopic that's, well, not too much different from any number of other biopics.
The film depicts the life of painter Frida Kahlo, who grew up and lived most of her life in Mexico City during the first half of the 20th century, until her death at the age of 46. A Marxist in philosophy if not entirely in practice, Kahlo is able to partially recover from a near-paralyzing accident while still a student, and then befriends the famous artist and fellow communist supporter, Diego Rivera (an almost unrecognizable Alfred Molina). Their friendship eventually leads to marriage, which is an institution not really suited for a rampant womanizer like Rivera. The man's infidelity also spawns similar behavior in Kahlo (the two actually shared some of the same lovers), and is the basis for much of the friction in their relationship.
We follow Kahlo and Rivera as they spend a few years in New York, where Nelson Rockefeller (Edward Norton) commissions Rivera to create a mural, which Rockefeller later destroys due to Rivera's inclusion of a painting of Lenin. Upon the couple's return to Mexico City, they welcome Leon Trotsky (Geoffrey Rush) and his wife to the city, whom Kahlo houses in her father's home, while the noted philosopher hides from would-be assassins. Trotsky also proves to be another in a long line of stumbling blocks in Kahlo and Rivera's marriage. As Kahlo's life nears its end, her health deteriorates (she even has a foot amputated), until she is permanently bed ridden. Yet none of this can quiet her artistic ambitions.
Frida Kahlo was a figure I knew little about coming into the film, and I left with a very clear understanding of who this person was and the important events which helped shape her life. Salma Hayek takes on, by far, her most complex role to date and performs commendably. Alfred Molina is always good and here he doesn't disappoint. All sorts of famous actors pop up in small parts (Norton, Rush, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas), which caught me by surprise, as I didn't know beforehand that they were involved with the film.
Taymor utilizes an optical technique that makes some of Frida's paintings come to life, which adds a little visual flair (she has a few other tricks up her sleeve as well). However, the script feels like one that was penned by four people, as the events of Frida's life, while perhaps not randomly plotted, are occasionally scattershot. Unlike other cinematic portraits of artists, Frida Kahlo is not portrayed as a person for whom art was their life's blood. She views her art in a practical way -- as a means to possibly make a living, and this grounds her character with an engaging realism.
Although Frida endured a few lifetimes worth of hardships during her brief time on earth, I applaud this film for not dwelling on these aspects. The movie celebrates a very remarkable life -- one well worth having lived -- and it would've been easy to paint the material in darker strokes, although it wouldn't have served the film as well. The movie's honest about Frida's mistakes and, ultimately, doesn't try to sanctify her.
This film, most likely, will generate
some Oscar buzz, and it seems to have, in terms of tone and content,
all the ingredients that the Academy usually eats up. As mentioned
earlier, there is something a little too calculated in the filmmaking
to make a lasting impression on this reviewer, but in the end
Frida distinguishes itself as a solid film about a figure
whose story is certainly deserving of being told.
(A Miramax Films release. Opened in New York and Los
Angeles on October 25. Will expand to more cities at later dates).
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