Frida
Carla Gutiérrez / United States & Mexico / 2024 / International Premiere / 88 min
Frida Kahlo's illustrated diary is brought to life by poetic animations in a passionate and dramatic account of the iconic Mexican artist's life, told in her own words.
One of the 20th century’s most visionary artists finally gets the film she deserves, and it is based on her own richly illustrated diary. Frida Kahlo used her own charismatic face in many of her symbol-saturated paintings, but the extent to which her life’s work actually tells a full story is overwhelming when we hear it from herself. Kahlo opened the door to her inner life through her art and was in close contact with the dark imaginary of Mexican culture. But she was also deeply engaged in the topics of her time. She was politically active in Mexico and internationally, but with her fame came a growing interest from the likes of Surrealism’s chief ideologue André Breton, who had their own plans for how Kahlo could fit into their own project. Carla Gutiérrez is known as an exceptionally skilled editor, and in her first film as director, she brings together years of experience in the art of telling stories with images.