Frida

As a general rule, I find film biographies fall into one of two categories: Those biopics that take liberties with the facts to make their subjects or their films more interesting, or to justify the agenda of the filmmakers; and those biopics which exist solely as a star vehicle for a particular actor. On paper, Frida, the biopic of Mexican painter and activist Frida Kahlo, directed by Julie Taymor, and starring Salma Hayek as Frida, would most certainly fall into the latter category. Ms. Hayek has never been given much credit in Hollywood, and her resume has consisted mostly of roles that trade on her sexuality, so she certainly must relish the Oscar-buzz going around about her performance here. However, Hayek’s outstanding performance aside, the fact that the film manages to be entertaining and compelling suggests other factors at work.

Frida opens on Ms. Kahlo’s teen years in Mexico, including a devastating bus accident that effects her health for years to come, and chronicles her stormy relationship with her husband, mentor and fellow artist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), her political affiliations, her controversial affair with Leon Trotksy (Geoffrey Rush), as well as her sexual experiences with other women. But rather than sensationalize these events solely for dramatic effect, the film chooses to show how these experiences shaped Frida’s art, constantly reinforcing the idea that she was both a person and an artist. To help illustrate that point, Taymor makes Kahlo’s paintings literally come to life at crucial turning points for Frida, from the aftermath of her accident, to her relationship to Diego and their ill-fated trip to America to create a mural for Norman Rockefeller (Edward Norton), and then, ultimately, to her death. It’s a stylized touch to be sure, but one that helps the audience appreciate the depth and thought Kahlo brought to her work, which in turn explains why she is so revered and influential in both her homeland and artistic circles.

Frida Kahlo is one of those roles actresses would probably trip over themselves to play. A woman who lived life to the fullest despite setbacks large and small, Frida gives Ms. Hayek an opportunity to spread her wings, and she takes full advantage of the role, making it her own from adolescence to death. Hayek’s Frida is infused with heart and soul, pathos and pain, and unquenchable thirst for experience. She does a stellar job with a complex part. Mr. Molina, the British actor best know for his work as the drug dealer in Boogie Nights, as well for roles in Species, Chocolat, and the recently cancelled TV show, Bram and Alice, is unrecognizable as Rivera. Behind layers of makeup and having gained a large amount of weight, Molina makes it easy for the audience to see how women were attracted to Rivera, as well as why he was the perfect match for Kahlo. Molina is careful to leave the gray in his performance, illustrating the imperfections in his character, but making him appealing nonetheless.

The film is fortunate to have capable actors such as Rush, Valeria Golina, Ashley Judd, and Norton among other fleshing out smaller supporting roles. The film also features Antonio Banderas, a man who should be working less and less considering the genuinely poor product he has inflicted on the world lately. He becomes more unintelligible with every film he does. But that is a whole other story.

Ms. Taymor, a former artist who also directed the Broadway version of The Lion King and the recent Shakespearian epic, Titus, which featured Jessica Lange and Anthony Hopkins, has taken an admirable leap as a director with Frida. Whereas Titus made the audience focus more on the set and costume design than on the plot and characters, Taymor has achieved a balance between them here. She has managed to stage the most beautiful and memorable bus crash ever seen, complete with torrents of glass and gold glitter. But Taymor has tempered her tendency to dazzle us with props and lighting with moments where the only effect at work is the chemistry between Hayek and Molina. In doing so, she has created an entertaining and enlightening look at an artist in her prime while eliciting a career-making performance from Hayek.

Submitted 19 January 03. Posted 20 February 03.