| Frida Still Life | |
| Director: | Paul Leduc |
| Producer: | Manuel Barbachano Ponce-Clasa Films Mundiales |
| Starring: | Ofelia Medina |
| Music: | Rafael Castanedo |
| Cinematography: | Ángel Goded |
| Editing: | Rafael Castanedo |
| Runtime: | 108 minutes |
| Country: | Mexico |
| Language: | Spanish |
Frida Still Life (Spanish; Castilian: '''Frida, naturaleza viva''') is a 1983 Mexican drama film about artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera directed by Paul Leduc.[1] The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2]
Frida Still Life opens with Frida Kahlo's coffin laid out in the Bellas Artes palace in Mexico City. Throughout the film, we see a series of flashbacks of Kahlo's life as she lies on her deathbed. The flashbacks show her relationship with Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky, as well as her artwork, miscarriages, and physical ailments.
Frida Still Life has been classified as a prime example of New Latin American Cinema of the 1960s and early 70s by film scholars such as Paul A. Schroeder Rodríguez, especially in the way it depicts Frida Kahlo as a marginalized subject.[3] Additionally, film critics admire its use of mirrors as a way to show Kahlo's unique point of view.[4]
The film was honored with the Gran Coral as the Best Picture of the 1984 Havana Film Festival of New Latin American Cinema (NCLA), and Ofelia Medina, in the role of Frida, received a Coral as the Best Actress.[5]