What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie is a graphic and explicit rendering of the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek), and in particular, her rocky relationship with fellow artist and husband Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina). There is a lot sex shown between the couple and with their various alternate lovers, including women with whom both Frida and Diego cheat. The atmosphere of almost every scene is charged with either sexual or violent tension, or both. When Frida suffers a miscarriage, the fetus is shown preserved in formaldehyde while she sketches it into a painting. The couple's affiliation with socialist ideologues, especially Leon Trotsky (Geoffrey Rush), brings violence to the forefront -- from barroom brawls to attempted assassinations. Celebration scenes are marked by the presence of copious alcohol consumption, and near the end of her life, Frida is shown to become dependent on various pain medications due to complications from injuries received in a bus accident earlier in her life. The film glorifies Frida and Diego as important artists, while it also shows the misery that they endured.
- Families can talk about whether an artist must live a tortured life to make important art. Are artists always so strongly principled when it comes to their politics? Why were politics so important in this era of Mexican history? Why does Frida enter into a marriage with Diego despite knowing his horrible record of infidelity? How can Diego remain unapologetic regarding his behavior, and does his behavior justify Frida's own infidelities?