I don't know whether to use "painting" and "bright" to describe this movie. On the one hand, it creates a visual spectacle, on the other it is flat, both the characters inside and the space in the shot.
Frida's saga enriches the plot, and the director doesn't have to worry about details. And the themes of life, or the most hidden parts of the characters' hearts, are lacking in exploration. Maybe really deep into a person's inner world will inevitably make the film dull and slow. The director was completely fascinated by the legendary experience of the female painter, completely forgetting that she (Frida) used those paintings to experience life and hide her pain. So, in the director's film, the gorgeous, bright and charming Frida came out. That's not the real her, it's just her that people see.
Although the film is full of beautifully composed images, it looks like a stage play no matter what. The whole film lacks vertical movement. Even on the top of the ancient Mayan ruins, the scene of Trotsky and Frida is full of them in the foreground, and the grand ruins are reduced to the background paintings of the stage. The most cinematic scene comes at the beginning of the film, when they lift the big bed truck from home. The 90-degree bird's-eye view from the truck melts into Frida as a student, and that's the most fascinating part of the film.
The lines in the movie are touching, but that should be from Frida, not the movie. Rather than being moved by the film, it is better to be moved by Frida, who died more than half a century ago, and the film just illustrated his biography. (selected illustrations, mostly painted by Frida herself)
View more about Frida reviews
