Frida (2002) Review:

It truly is an odd sight to get to understand the history of someone's life of someone so famous. It is the public perception that all famous individuals live a life of luxury and no concerns. It is far from truth because many artists have similar issues and sometimes in larger volumes. Frida, a Mexican artist who is known for her work is celebrated by many and yet her back story of how she became what she's known for is so saddening. Being an artist is not always an easy thing like it is portrayed to be. But the crew involved with making the biopic of this Latin American woman really put in the time to make this film as good as it is. It still has an issue but not compared to the rest of its strengths.

Molina & Hayek

Basically covering Frida's view of life before and after her turning point accident, the script has lots of great details to cover. It's surprising too when looking at who helped write the script. Clancy Sigal and Diane Lake are two of the four involved who had no history before or after working on major films. This usually hits a red flag. However, the other two, Anna Thomas and Gregory Nava had worked on projects and the fact they were able to all put it together deserves applause. Julie Taymor serves as director to this feature, which is also rare recalling how many female directors were around. A few years before Taymor also directed Titus (1999), which received strong reviews too.

The cast of actors hired to play their parts do a great job at diving into their roles. Salma Hayek as Frida very much captures the essence of the artist in multiple ways. From the visual look, actions and dialog. Viewers will really sympathize with her role seeing the kind of roller coaster her life becomes. Playing her right hand man (literally) is Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera, Frida's real life on and off lover. Not only does Molina show what kind of person Diego Rivera was, but viewers may also sympathize with him too as wildly unpredictable he ends up being. Both Molina and Hayek have great chemistry together and display it well on scene. There's one part to them that doesn't get much clarity though.

Character motives seem a little out of place at times. This occurs mostly for the two leads, but it also happens with some other supporting characters. Not much detail is given so it doesn't make a lot of sense as to why a certain character will make a decision on something. It's almost like it was impulse only. However, the supporting actors are great to watch too. Frida's father Guillermo (Roger Rees) plays a likable parent for his open mindedness. Valeria Golino plays an ex-wife of Diego Rivera and even talks to Frida about various topics. Golino was also in Rain Man (1988) and Escape from L.A. (1996). There's also appearances by Edward Norton, Ashley Judd, Mía Maestro and Geoffrey Rush.

Frida's actual painting

The visual look of the film is also well done. Shot by Rodrigo Prieto, a native to Mexico, handles the cinematography. The film contains much of what Mexico looks like including some very old architecture. There's even a stop motion animated scene that reminisces to that of something Tim Burton or Tom Sellick would like. The music is also another well accomplished component. Featuring a mixture of Latin singers and a score by Elliot Goldenthal, the soundtrack to this picture is elegantly structured in a way that really flows well. Goldenthal's transition cues blend nicely with the scenes until the Latin singers take over. All in all very well represented.

Watching this film will show fans of the artist the kinds of issues Frida had to deal with on a frequent basis. With the right actors, music, writing and visuals, viewers will come out knowing what kind of tough cookie she was.

Points Earned --> 8:10