Winter as Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is the world famous Mexican painter and one of the most famous painters who ever lived. Today she is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Her art continues to inspire countless artists and she has become a feminist icon, celebrated for her unapologetic approach to gender, pain, and identity. Her work has gained increasing recognition, and her life story has been widely celebrated. She is most famous for her often surreal self-portraits that explored themes of identity, pain, and a life that was filled with physical and emotional struggles that were always central to her art. She contracted polio at the age of 6, which left her with a limp and affected her mobility for the rest of her life. At the age of 18 she was involved in an accident and suffered severe injuries including a broken spine. She underwent numerous surgeries and spent long periods recovering in bed. During this time, she began painting, initially creating portraits of herself as a way to cope with the isolation and physical pain she endured. These early works were deeply personal, and she often used her own image to explore her emotional and physical suffering. Later she married the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Their relationship was devoted and passionate but tumultuous, marked by infidelities on both sides and personal struggles. Despite their tumult, they remained married for over two decades, although they separated and briefly divorced in 1939 before remarrying in 1940. Kahlo's relationship with Rivera was a significant influence on her life and art. The relationship with Rivera is the narrative throughline that 'Winter As Frida Kahlo' follows in this incredible new movie version of her life. Specifically the story follow an affair that Rivera had with Kahlo's sister Cristina. But the problem is that today there is so much Frida everywhere you look that it's tempting to roll your eyes everytime her name pops up. So when a movie like Winter as Frida Kahlo comes along, it needs to very quickly do something to stand out. Well it does that and stands out quickly and brilliantly.

The part you probably already know is Cheyenne Rae Hernandez playing both Frida and Cristina (her sister who had an affair with her husband). See my comment a minute ago about the dangers of rolling your eyes. Hernandez won't have you rolling your eyes. Although you might end up needing to pick your jaw up off the ground. As far as I know there are no recorded interviews with Frida that still exist. So Winter as Frida Kahlo doesn't look like it's trying to do that biopic thing of recreating iconic segments on record. What it seems to do instead is blend the millions of famous Frida photos and paintings to synthesise the legend of Frida the icon into something new. It succeeds on almost every level.

The cast don't just look the part. Hernandez has a Frida monobrow of course. Diego is the man we know from the photos of them together. The real difference here is the flesh the story puts on the bones of what we think we know - and the light the film makers want to shine on Frida's life. The writers/directors are the Noah Brothers and what they do so well on this occasion is fill the story with drama and chemistry. The scenes radiate vibrancy and a deep understanding of each character's struggle and introspection. At the heart of the story is a ridiculous love triangle. It stays ridiculous in the way Winter as Frida Kahlo plays out, but what is also captured is love and loss through gorgeous poetic language and even more poetic cinematography. There are real moments of beauty and clarity that emerge amidst stark emotions.

The narrative artfully weaves elements of Kahlo's identity-her Mexican heritage, her deep connection to nature, and her long litany of tragic experiences into a compelling cinematic homage to one of history's most universally adored artists.

It appears that the other reviews are based on an entirely different film because I have a different opinion.

I can't even find the words to describe this utter tripe of a film. Actually I use the word "film" loosely, it's more like a pretentious college art project. It is disjointed, makes no sense and does a huge disservice to the great Frida Kahlo. There is no bombshell ending, it's insipid.

There are two positives:

1. The film is vibrant with colour; 2. It's very short in duration, but I would implore anyone to not bother with it and watch something else instead.

The Frida Kahlo life story is as nebulous as her paintings. There is always so much more to know than what is on display in her paintings. That's why people obsess over Frida and "Winter As Frida Kahlo" knows this life story inside out. It's one of the most powerfully beautiful movies i've had the good fortune to experience seeing.

"Winter As Frida Kahlo" presents a non-linear narrative of Frida's personal struggles and her rollercoaster relationship with Diego Rivera and the affair he had with her sister Cristina. The storytelling is gritty and visually stunning. The cinematography mirrors Kahlo's artistic language, using sunny and surreal imagery. It's an altogether beautiful homage to Mexico and Frida Kahlo's visual aesthetic while also enhancing the emotional weight of her story and the times she lived in.

Cheyenne Rae Hernandez portrays Frida Kahlo and also her sister Cristina in a compelling and breathless performance of flawed vulnerability. She is a strong Frida and her performance showcases the many sides of Kahlo's character; an artist fierce in spirit, but who knows the depths of sorrow as a lover and a wife. Her performance as Cristina is as surprising as it is different. Hernandez keeps the difference in the sisters in check by creating different enough characters for the two very different powerful emotional arcs of each sister. You actually care about both instead of choosing sides just because Frida is the famous one. I loved that about the way the story is told.

Diego Rivera is portrayed by Simon Palomares with humor and complexity that is also quite a surprise. Ultimately the power of "Winter as Frida Kahlo" comes from just this kind of journey of discovery that it takes the audience on. The Diego in the story is a good example of this, completely upending the Diego biographical narrative. If Hernandez as the two sisters is the human condition emotionally emblazoned across the screen, then Palomares is the mouthpiece for unhinged masculinity in a stratified society. None of this ever overshadows who we're all here to see, but it links how the people in Frida's world helped shape her artistic legacy.

Other people in the story are not as easy to understand. But that doesn't really matter when they are very easy to like and create light touches that also can suddenly switch to having an emotional depth. There is a boyish and suited up American character inserted into the story played mischievously by Daniel Schepsi. He's lots of fun and gets darker as the story goes on. Schepisi seems to be having a ball and makes the ride more mysterious. There's also a Mexican singer that injects a rousing soundtrack and gets in on the themes of the Frida story, but not in a way you might expect either. But "Winter as Frida Kahlo" makes it all work to offer a lovingly crafted portrait of one of art history's most beloved figures. There's emotional depth and insightful commentary on the interplay between art and life in the way the story plays out. It resonates on many levels and invites reflection on the complexities of creative endeavor and the human condition. It's an experience you don't want to miss.

You know a film is good when about half way through you think maybe I should be watching it in the original Spanish, only to realize that English is the original language. WINTER AS FRIDA KAHLO is like a crazy good deep dive into everything Frida that is probably not going to be loved by anyone as much as us Frida tragics. It does have a lot of talking, but I hope it does catch on because it's absolutely ravishing to look at. The costumes are resplendent and lavish with an unforgettable pairing of Frida and Diego. It also has one of the strangest and most affecting twist endings.

The film begins with a little girl in a forest and a kind of poem. I think it's meant to be from Frida's childhood. It sets a beautifully poetic tone that never stops coming as we meet the usual suspects from Frida's life. Diego is next up, then her sister Cristina. Who is important here because the same actor (Cheyenne Rae Hernandez) also plays both sisters. She really makes her mark in this role let me tell you. This might not be the biggest name biopic released, but talk about an award winning performance for playing Frida and Cristina. Cheyenne Rae Hernandez can do no wrong as she punches through all the horribly tragic things that Frida experienced in her short life. Her marriage to Diego was one of the biggest heartbreaks and the main part of what the film is about. Simon Palomare plays Diego as a grinning charging bull. He's perfect in the role and is just as deserving of accolades.

It's actually some time before Frida appears except in flashbacks because the focus is on Cristina and the affair she has with Diego. The flashback structure is because the film tells the story in a backwards fashion, so that we jump around a lot - but always to moments where we get a Frida painting to match what's going on. The use of the paintings is clever in the way they fill the screen and show up details that match what's going on in the story. The soundtrack does the same thing and it's one of the best things in the film. There are some Mexican songs too that get the full musical treatment and also jump out as poetic. That's really what you can expect from WINTER AS FRIDA KAHLO. The way the characters speak, the glorious music soundtrack, the recreation of Mexico. It's all there in this wonderful film.

It's been over 20 years since Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina missed out on an Oscar for FRIDA. That was a steamy kaleidoscope that was a blockbuster and an art-house film in one. WINTER AS FRIDA KAHLO is just as headlong and adventurous, if more intimate and painterly. It also features many paintings of Frida Kahlo in visual montage sequences overlaid with a gorgeous soundtrack. It's quite a unique element that ties up the threads of the story in a remarkable way.

"Frida" in this version is played by Cheynne Hernandez and "Diego" is an actor called Simon Palomares. "Diego" is always meant to be the bad guy - but gets some funny lines and is even emotional and deep from time to time. Hernandez is always deep and ALWAYS intense. I absolutely loved her as Frida. Watching her had me doomscrolling Frida on my phone to all hours after watching this film. I knew about the affair Diego had with Frida's sister, but in WINTER AS FRIDA KAHLO it's a more devastatingly voyeuristic look at what happens when a relationships shatters - but also at what a love looks like that you'll believe can survive anything.

This is a film to watch if you're looking for intelligent dialogue and something genuinely beautiful to watch. The ending will make you think because of a surprise twist that made me smile. The whole film made me look at Frida not differently, but more closely. It's very, very good and an 8 out of 10 for me.