Frida Kahlo

 

Frida Kahlo was a vibrant women. Who was passionate in every aspect in her life, especially her art. Frida was able to use her talent for painting, to express herself through all the trials and pain she had to face in her life. That was exactly how she was portrayed in the 2002 film Frida. On the other hand, her husband Diego Rivera, was portrayed as a man with a silver tongue. He was, what some would say, a “lady’s man”. In the time of Frida’s upbringing to fame, Mexico was bright and full of life, culture, music, art, and politics. The movie really captured how spiritual Mexico felt at the time and still does now. What was enjoyable for me as a viewer was how the directors highlighted so heavily on the Mexican culture that I found to be so important to include, because that was a huge part of Frida’s life.

The film goes on to combine political life at the time and their art, and how socialist ideologies were embraced by Frida and Diego. The couple even had gatherings for artists, political figures, and intellectuals, all over to come. While their time in New York brought lots of inspiration for the couple, it’s also portrayed that their bohemian lifestyles differed from the people in the U.S.

Of course, the movie focuses heavily on Frida
and her lifestyle as an artist, although we can see some contrasts between Frida and Diego’s elite circle, whereas the rest of the people in Mexico were still going on with their lives. I don’t see this as a problem because the film still highlights Mexican culture and roots, but it makes sense that it would focus on high society, art, politics, because that was the world Frida lived in. Frida, being a free spirit, regarding her sexuality, and even her appearance, did spark some conflict once in New York. She didn’t fit into their societal norms, and the film goes on to portray that. The film even goes in deep to show the viewer how alienated the couple felt and what they faced once they were in a different cultural environment. This didn’t stop Frida from nurturing a relationship with her own body. After her tramway accident, she used art as a way to cope with her chronic pain from the event and she used art as an outlet to help her process the trauma. This in itself alone, highlights how strong of a woman she was. It was beautiful to see how she continued to push gender norms and how fluid she was with her sexuality. These things have made her stay a prominent figure in women’s history.

Chavela Vargas and Lila Downs were two famous Mexican singers who appear in the film. Their music added more depth and emotion to make the viewer really feel when watching. The director further made sure how important it was to include all Mexican culture possible.

I loved how animated her art was and how symbolic. All I can think about is how this film made me feel. How immersed I was in the life of Frida.

In similarity with Hayek’s experience, the way that Weinstein wanted more nudity and wanted Frida to be more sexualized, compares to how all the women in Hollywood nowadays, must face the same thing. How the representation of women is so tarnished by Hollywood and social media. It almost feels like we can never go back, but with people like Frida standing up for women in the past and still in a way, in the present, I think times can change.

I wanted to include this painting of Frida's because it feels so raw and full of emotion. It's what it feels like to be a women in our society where we are told we can't walk alone at night. That we can't go out with friends and not expect to get harassed. How we as women feel like we have to constantly perform and that we are prey in the eyes of a society that was not built to protect us.