Frida Kahlo (2020)

Directed by: Ali Ray | 90 minutes | documentary

Who was Frida Kahlo? An artist? A victim? A heroine? A mother? A feminist? One thing stands out as a rock; she possessed an endless love of life mixed with color, hope and drama that defined her as an iconic self-portraitist. This Mexican celebrity takes center stage in the documentary ‘Frida Kahlo’, by Ali Ray. This writer and director is not unfamiliar with researching and examining world-famous artists in their thinking and working methods. In 2001, together with Tim Marlow, she made a thirteen-part miniseries ‘The Impressionists’ about Rembrandt, Vermeer and Michelangelo, among others.

The canvas is her mirror. Besides being very creative and playful, she is also very candid about what she wants to show her audience. Her eccentric appearance is not masked and she was not shy about her wild eyebrows and the remarkable hair on her lip. Frida is in fact one of the best visual storytellers of the 20th century, although the term did not yet exist at the time. In ‘Frida Kahlo’, her masterpieces pass by, as well as her lesser-known portraits, which skilfully highlight how she worked. A very refreshing angle because her work is often overshadowed by the turbulent life she led. This documentary is an in-depth investigation into her way of working and processing in which you are regularly transported and moved.

The paintings are analyzed carefully, vividly and skilfully, as if you were being lectured in her style. The play of colour, nature and self-reflection ensures that you are drawn into the screen. The expert insights and background information from world-renowned art curators along with Kahlo’s own words from letters written by her make this intimate documentary extremely complete and a privilege to watch.

You would think that Frida with her bad health, that catastrophic bus accident, her unrequited desire to have children and the relational deception gave life a big unsatisfactory, but the opposite is true; her passionate Mexican character refused to bow to tragedy. She dipped the brush in her experiences and captured reflection in color.