Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Frida benefits enormously from Salma Hayek's commanding, deeply committed performance and Julie Taymor's visually inventive direction, which brings Kahlo's surrealist paintings to life through imaginative cinematography and seamless integration of animation and art. The acting ensemble is strong across the board. However, the biographical plot follows a fairly conventional rise-and-fall-and-triumph arc common to artist biopics, hitting expected dramatic beats around Kahlo's accident, her marriage to Rivera, and her affairs. The ending is respectful but not especially surprising. Novelty is moderate — Taymor's visual approach is distinctive but the biopic framework is familiar.