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Paint Misbehavin’
By Joshua Edward
Whalesong Staff
"Frida,”
the new bio-pic starring Salma Hayek and directed by Julie Taymor,
bears a striking resemblance to a new sweater from J. Crew: on the
surface it’s richly textured and vibrantly colored, but when
you put it on you find out it’s utterly devoid of real substance.
Don’t get me wrong; “Frida” is worth seeing, if only
to give “props” to the long- ignored Mexican painter.
Salma Hayek is more than compelling as the bisexual, communist,
infirm Frida Kahlo (the adjectives could go on and on), and Alfred
Molina’s Diego Rivera (Kahlo’s philandering husband) also
does well. What’s lacking here is any real insight into the
world that prompted Kahlo’s beautiful and disturbing work:
missing are the deep connections between Kahlo and her indigenous
heritage and any significant inclusion of her proto-feminist ideology.
In the end, the audience learns far more about what
prompted Rivera’s manifesto laden murals (which are considered
national treasures in Mexico) than what spurred his lover’s
prodigious talent. Taymor, known for big hits (Broadway’s “Lion
King”), and even bigger misses (the spectacularly bad “Titus”),
ultimately sacrifices valuable film time on clichéd tropes
that would be better spent giving Hayek’s Kahlo true voice.
Grade: B
If you like “Frida” try “Before Night Falls!”
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