Frida (2002)
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The story
In 1925, Frida Kahlo suffers a traumatic accident at the age of 18 on board a wooden-bodied bus that collides with a streetcar. Impaled by a metal pole, the injuries she sustains plague her for the rest of her life. To help her through convalescence, her father brings her a canvas to paint on. Once regaining the ability to walk with a cane, Frida visits muralist Diego Rivera, demanding an honest critique of her paintings. Rivera falls in love with her work, and they begin a dysfunctional relationship characterized by mutual artistic admiration and complex personal dynamics.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following her accident, Frida and Diego Rivera enter a dysfunctional marriage marked by Rivera's numerous affairs and Frida's own bisexual explorations. The couple travels to NYC in 1934 for Rivera to paint a mural at Rockefeller Center, which is ultimately destroyed due to his refusal to compromise his communist vision. After a miscarriage and a return to Mexico, Frida's sister Cristina moves in as Rivera's assistant, leading to a discovery of infidelity that sends Frida into alcoholism. They later reunite during a Día de los Muertos celebration, where Rivera asks her to house Leon Trotsky. They begin an affair until Trotsky's wife discovers it, forcing them to flee. After Frida's unfaithfulness with Trotsky is revealed, Rivera asks for a divorce. Following Trotsky's assassination in 1940, Frida is arrested but released by Rivera. After undergoing surgery for gangrenous toes and later a leg amputation, she remains bedridden until 1953, when her bed is carried to a museum for her first solo exhibition in Mexico.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish; French; Russian
- Directors
- Julie Taymor
- Writers
- Clancy Sigal · screenplay; Diane Lake · screenplay; Gregory Nava · screenplay; Anna Thomas · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Salma Hayek · Frida Kahlo; Alfred Molina · Diego Rivera; Geoffrey Rush · Leon Trotsky; Mía Maestro · Cristina Kahlo; Ashley Judd · Tina Modotti; Antonio Banderas · David Alfaro Siqueiros; Edward Norton · Nelson Rockefeller; Diego Luna · Alejandro Gómez Arias
- Genres
- biographical drama; LGBTQ-related; live action and animation
- Themes
- art and anguish; marriage and career; communism
- Tone and mood
- passionate; visually striking; glamorous; cosmopolitan
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; LGBTQ; disability; art
- Source material / true-story basis
- a 1983 biography of Kahlo by Hayden Herrera
- Content notes
- sexual misconduct
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with a consensus describing it as a passionate and visually striking biopic. It was also selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.88/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 159
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Makeup · win; Academy Awards · Best Original Score · win; Oscars · Best Actress · nomination; Golden Globes · Best Actress · nomination; Baftas · Best Actress · nomination; SAG Awards · Best Actress · nomination
- Production trivia
- The bus crash scene is based on a 1929 portrait by Kahlo.; Salma Hayek wore over fifty costumes for the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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