"I want to burn it, so I can rid myself of this Judas of a body!" hisses SalmaHayek in an eerie yet incredibly realistic portrayal of the controversialtwentieth-century artist Frida Kahlo in the movie "Frida." Wearingelaborate costumes, Salma's physical attributes are hindered by the joining ofher brows and a peculiar shadow on her upper lip, which is quite a drastic changefrom her usual glamorous look.

Frida Kahlo's life was under publicscrutiny from the first time she opened her eyes. Her mother, a Catholic Mexicanof Indian descent, wed a German Jew of Hungarian background. Born MagdalenaCarmen Frida Kahlo Calderon in 1907, she was plagued by polio as a child, whichmade her right leg shorter. In 1925 she survived a horrible bus accident thatconfined her to a body cast for two years. Many doubted she would walkagain.

This incident was the spark that developed her artistic talent. Itis in her bed, with a mirror on the canopy, where her art career blooms, and shebegins to draw self-portraits. It is stunning to see how well Hayek depictsFrida's anguish as she endures changing casts, and her persistence as she paintsunder terrible conditions (lying down with her head held by a contraption hungfrom the ceiling).

"Frida" shows insight into findingperfection in the imperfect. In one scene, Frida reveals a scar on her back toher love, Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina). Admiring it, he states, "You'reperfect."

Frida's marriage to Rivera, the Mexican muralist, makes merealize that Frida was somewhat of a masochist since Rivera tells her that he isprone to infidelity, but she marries him anyway.

Frida Kahlo was indeed afree spirit, and her paintings depict this perfectly. Teary eyes, stern looks ofher subjects, dark colors, and blood and nature are common themes in her work.She usually portrays scenes of maternity in gruesome ways since she was unable tohave children and was quite comfortable with nudity.

The soundtrack isexotic; Mexican music and mariachi bands are reminiscent of when I lived inMexico. Actors include Antonio Banderas, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton and AshleyJudd. Even though Judd is not known for shocking roles, she does share anunorthodox scene with Hayek as they dance the tango and end it with akiss.

This film is as accurate as Hollywood gets and I recommend it toanyone with an open mind. As I walked out of the theater, I felt inspired to beless concerned with the so-called "perfect" aspects of society, andlike Diego Rivera, find perfection in the imperfections of life. Frida's life isinspiring because she lived as she desired and had no regrets about controversialdecisions.

This movie is rated R.