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A few days ago I watched the DVD of Frida and was pleasantly surprised by it. I hadn’t seen the trailer for the film and only saw brief glimpses, so I didn’t know what to expect. It’s an engaging and complex biography of the artist that also presents the story in a visual style that complements the paintings. The film is beautifully shot by Rodrigo Prieto and is impressive without showing off or being distracting. Just right and just enough visually. The performances are similar in style as well. Salma Hayek becomes Frida and Alfred Molina is great as muralist Diego Rivera. There are some innovative visual sequences that fit perfectly and also had the side effect of saving money without any compromises. The film is well-directed by Julie Taymor who manages to pull great performances out of the cast and have a film that is visually impressive without being excessive. I haven’t really explored the special features on the second DVD yet, but I will.