Frida. Viva la vida
FRIDA. VIVA LA VIDA - SHARMILL FILMSGiovanni Troilo's Frida. Viva la vida is an engrossing and illuminating biographical telling of the life of the infamous, revolutionary Mexican artist Frida Khalo.
Troilo's film is a definitive history lesson of the titular subject's trials and tribulations throughout her often unforgiving and profound life of artistic defiance. Narrated by Asia Argento (more on that later) Frida. Viva la vida is formulated in layers of archive footage, personal objects and art, through professional archivists and staged dramatic retellings with an actress playing Khalo in existential moments of her life.
Granted, the latter sequences, while convicted in a profound circumstance, do little for the film overall in understanding the psyche of the plagued artist herself. Especially considering the visually profound gravitas of Khalo's artistic work speaking in far greater volumes than this imagined footage could or ever would articulate.
That being said, the voices and weight found in Troilo's Frida. Viva la vida is unprecedented in highlighting the titular subject’s life; tragic, albeit inspiring, in every defining moment, with substance and exploration of pain and suffering formulating into artistic expression. However, the balance of the documentary with a multitude of arcs and direction drowns in an excessiveness to define Khalo and all her exploits.
Pulling the audience in and out of said exploration is the form of Asia Argento as the narrator verbally detailing the thematic weight (as stated above) of what the film could easily convey through the work of Khalo herself on screen. While Argento delivers this narration flawlessly with a vigorous and profound influence, nevertheless, seeing the controversial actress on-screen does sway the viewing of said film in an uncomfortable manner.
Giovanni Troilo's Frida. Viva la vida is a documentary that is far too elongated and stacked up for its own good. Even with such beautiful footage and a profound investigation of the artiste existential crisis, Troilo's film is far too concerned with verbally expressing the work of Khalo — of which is neither needed nor wanted — in the way of showcasing the journey of how and why.
FRIDA. VIVA LA VIDA is released March 6th 2020
