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.
