Dos Fridas

Streaming: Sundance Film Festival/Local Library
Warnings:
Disturbing Imagery
Rating: Not Rated

Dos Fridas is a dualistic film that reflects upon life and death while toying with reality and imagination. The history behind Frida Kahlo’s life is not well known and Dos Fridas is inspired by traumatic events that happened to her towards the end of her life (she passed away at age 47). The film beautifully portrays how Frida Kahlo dealt with those events mentally and physically. Dos Fridas follows Kahlo’s newly hired nurse Judith (played by Maria de Medeiros) who also suffers similar experiences as Frida.  Writer and director Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez also acts as Frida Kahlo in the film with a commanding presence that demands attention. The film mixes reality with imagination and the past with the presence, which is developed through Mexican folklore, surrealism and existentialism. It is not a “feel good movie” in the least bit and the film even forces the audience to contemplate the meaning of life. It is important to note that the name Dos Fridas is a nod towards one of Frida Kahlo’s oil paintings called The Two Fridas, this painting is a double self portrait. The film cleverly reflects upon opposing things, which is also portrayed in The Two Fridas.

            An important part of Dos Fridas is the almost all female cast. The lead actors are female, the supporting actors are female and there aren’t that many speaking roles from men. With that being said, most of this film passes the test for feminist film theory, women are in powerful roles, the focus of their conversations is not about men, and they are fully clothed. These minor details may not seem too important to an average viewer but this is a big change from the norm in traditional Hollywood films. Deliberate actions to uphold women positively in cinematic art is poetic in itself and Dos Fridas truly exposed a new realm of beauty.

            Alongside the strong casting decisions and feminist approach, the film is filled with Mexican Folklore, from Mexican sugar skulls, to the mariachi performing in Frida’s backyard; the film interprets the Mexican culture in a beautiful way that depicts the truth of Frida’s heritage. Through surrealism and expressionist techniques, Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez creates a narrative that is reflective of Luis Buñuel (the iconic Latino filmmaker) who created the 1952 film Mexican Bus Ride. Both of these films don’t follow a sequential timeline in regards to the narrative, which is common practice of Luis Buñuel; both films also create uncomfortable scenes through intense drama. Even though the stories within these films are both somewhat sad, they are told with such content of the Mexican culture that the beauty of it shines through regardless.

            One relative piece of Mexican culture that is prominently in Dos Fridas is reflection of traditions and embracing life as well as death, while not being afraid of the afterlife. Frida Kahlo oftentimes painted very violent pieces of work because it was her way of escaping the pain in her life; this film portrayed that sorrow in a realistic yet artistic way. This approach to portraying Frida Kahlo in her raw emotions makes this film incredibly expressionistic in a way that is unsettling but it also makes the viewer ponder the meaning of life. This is also portrayed through what is fake vs reality in the film; things dramatically change without any preemptive warnings- very much like Luis Buñuel films. If you are a fan of films that follow a strict narrative, this is not the film for you; however if you do enjoy that type of cinematic approach, you’re in for a ride.

Ultimately this film is a love poem to Frida Kahlo and the Mexican culture, it reflects upon resilience through pain, freedom of artistic expression as well as freedom of sexuality. The actors in the film created a wonderfully surreal story that exposes a new light into Frida Kahlo’s tough life. This film is truly a gift to the Mexican art community, and the Latino art community as a whole. It unapologetically speaks truth of things that are oftentimes overlooked within Fridas life, and creates a reflective story through her trauma. I truly enjoyed Dos Fridas as a Latina filmmaker myself, and I would highly recommend viewing this film when you’re in an existential mood.

Love, Gilda

Streaming: Hulu/Prime Video
Rating: Not Rated

Love, Gilda is not only a wonderful documentary but also an experience; you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and the film will make you think. Love, Gilda is a powerful inside look into the late actress and comedian Gilda Radner. Directed by Lisa Dapolito, the film examines the comedy scene from the 1970s and 80s and how Gilda influenced it as one of the first female comedians on Saturday Night Live (SNL). She certainly didn’t peg herself as a feminist, however, by being the only woman doing what she was doing, she inherently became a feminist icon. During that time, she often was put in typical roles only reserved for women, yet she didn’t complain, and she conquered those roles with grace. After a while, she started creating roles for herself and other women, thus expanding opportunities for other female comics to express themselves in unique ways.

Not only did other women appreciate Gilda for her strong personality and talented acting, but male comics saw her potential as well and assisted in getting her where she was in her career. The film highlights how much influence Gilda had over these very talented comedians who are still actively working today. Many talented actors are interviewed about Gilda’s life and their relationships with Gilda such as Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd, just to name a few. The film goes deep into Gilda’s personal relationships, her struggles with her health and weight, as well as her family life. The film does a wonderful job exposing the human side of an iconic actress that the general public has never seen before; It truly uncovers a world that most people don’t often get to be a part of.

Alongside having a strong influence on talented male actors, Gilda had influence over female comics that are currently on the scene today. The film interviews female SNL successors to Gilda, and they discuss in depth how she paved the way for their comedy careers without even knowing it. Love, Gilda is calculated and thoughtful in who they chose to interview for this documentary; Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Cecily Strong and Melissa McCarthy read emotional, old letters Gilda wrote to convey her experiences as a woman in comedy. These actresses even comment on how much of an honor it is to have be able to read Gilda’s handwritten letters within the film.

This film is a tribute to American comedy and what goes into it; it exposes a great deal of the comedy scene in both positive and negative ways and shows how hard Gilda worked to get where she was in her career. Lorne Michaels discusses Gilda with such content and talks about how she was dearly missed after she left SNL but understands why she did. One especially touching addition to the film is the archival footage that is incorporated (her brother provided a lot of the home videos). The archival footage and audio of Gilda shows her personality in a beautiful way; if you don’t know who she is before you watch the film, you’ll fall in love with her by the end of it. Her spirit is captured in such a considerate way, you can’t help but cry. This is a side of comedy that is often overlooked, comedians are not viewed as human, and their pain isn’t often exposed until it is too late (note: comedians have the highest suicide rate of any profession). Gilda was by no means suicidal, however she did struggle with depression which affected her health in many ways, and it is so important to discuss those types of struggles when talking about comedy; the film contemplates this in a meaningful way.

Love, Gilda is a piece of history that shows how far we have come in comedy and the roles of female actors. It really hasn’t been that long since women were only allowed to play roles “reserved for women”. Even though Gilda passed away from ovarian cancer at such a young age, this documentary proves that she has had an important influence for years, and she still has influence today. If you want to learn about self-love, I highly recommend this film; Gilda taught people that it’s okay to be your genuine self, and that even when you’re incredibly famous, you’re still just like everyone else.