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.
