By: Mae Cornes

“Winter as Frida Kahlo” is an upcoming biopic directed by the Noah Bros., adapted from a runaway indie hit for the stage into a visionary new film.

A Stellar Cast Brings Frida’s World to Life

Cheyenne Rae Hernandez appears in the dual role of Frida and her younger sister Cristina, with Simon Palomares as Frida’s husband, the muralist Diego Rivera. History buffs will say that Diego was the much more famous painter during their marriage—a history that also includes Diego’s devastating affair with Cristina. 

“Winter as Frida Kahlo” revisits the events of the affair to frame the larger narrative of Frida’s legendary life and work.

This film will make audiences remember it long after the credits roll. One reason is the incredible cast, which Hernandez leads as Frida Kahlo. Hernandez is hypnotic as Frida, the defiant heroine who continues to reach out across the ages in her art. Still, her vulnerability makes her portrayal as Frida even more vital and real. 

As if that wasn’t enough, Hernandez portrays a Cristina Kahlo who was more than just a fixture in lives much bigger than her own. She brings the audience dangerously close to feeling as much for her as anyone in this combustible love triangle.

Simon Palomares is a brash and brazen Diego Rivera, ranting and raving when needed but also revealing unexpectedly poetic turns illuminating more of the man Frida Kahlo would divorce and remarry. This daring and poetic sensibility carries over into key supporting parts played by Daniel Schepisi and Stefania Serna.

Serna captivates as “The Mariachi Singer,” a nameless street performer who conjures up a kind of musical magic. A real-life singer-songwriter steeped in the musical traditions of her native South America, her self-penned songs are spectacularly catchy. They work wonders to authentically bring Mexico to life and emotionally build on the heartbreak of Frida’s story.

Lastly, Daniel Schepisi, a regular Noah Bros. collaborator and nephew of Golden Globe award-winning director Fred Schepisi, completes the standout cast by playing “The Bostonian.” In a performance bound to catch the eye of casting directors, Schepisi draws the audience in as the handsome stranger in town, adding depth and power to a dramatic puzzle that “Winter as Frida Kahlo” thrillingly sets up.

Crawling Out of the Frame and Onto the Big Screen

However, if there is one other ingredient that gives this biopic a gripping lift out of the ordinary, it’s the way Frida Kahlo’s paintings are worked into the striking visual design of the film. 

The filmmakers weave key works into the story of “Winter as Frida Kahlo” through a melding of animation and graphic design. “The Frida paintings are unprecedented, so we wanted to do something that was the cinematic equivalent of standing right there in front of one,” says Co-director Bramwell Noah. “We wanted the movie to make you feel what it must have been like to see a Frida painting for the very first time.”  

Finding the right media artist for the job took almost as long as casting the role of Frida, but ultimately zeroing in on Filipino multimedia artist Janina Buenaseda. 

Buenaseda’s lifelong passion for Frida Kahlo’s work made her the ideal choice. “I don’t remember a time when Frida wasn’t there. Her work always moved me,” Buenaseda reflects. “But I was lucky to have had the chance to study her work more closely during my time as a multimedia arts student in college in Art History class. The opportunity to work on her paintings on film is beyond even the stuff of dreams.”

For Buenaseda, the painting “Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair” resonates most deeply. It reflects Frida’s declaration of self-reliance and independence in a way she finds incredibly inspiring as a woman. 

Tasked with bringing Frida’s art to cinematic life, Buenaseda says the biggest challenge was trusting herself. “I collaborated very closely with the directors and they are as uncompromising and passionate about Frida as I am. The media element was the easy part. The hard part was making sure the finished product was in the spirit of Frida.”

Still, Buenaseda used her ability to reflect the meaning of each painting in the most effective and memorable ways for the screen. “Right from the start, Janina never once slipped into showing off her technique. It was like she was orchestrating your favorite song,” says co-director Dan Noah.

With an endearing perspective on Frida Kahlo’s art and life on the screen, bolstered by powerhouse performances, “Winter as Frida Kahlo” provides an unforgettable cinematic experience. 

As Buenaseda herself puts it, when reflecting on the inspiration for the bold approach to the use of paintings in the story, “My favorite Frida fact in the whole world sums up just how much  of an effortless rule breaker Frida was. She was born in 1907. But she always claimed 1910 as her birth year to bring it in line with the start of the Mexican revolution. Not even birthdays were sacred!” 

Published by: Martin De Juan