There are few non-stereotypical roles being offered to performers of color, particularly women.

So actress Salma Hayek decided to create her own.

The result is “Frida,” which Hayek both starred in and produced. A pet project of Hayek’s for many years, “Frida” is the story of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, a woman known as much for her strong will as her paintings.

The question is whether an audience who might not be familiar with Kahlo and her art will be interested in watching a biopic about her.

For this critic, the answer is a resounding yes. Despite knowing little about Kahlo before watching the film, “Frida” is a magnificent portrait of Kahlo, her passion for art, her strong will at a time when women were expected to be subservient and her consuming relationship with muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina, “Chocolat”).

Hayek shines in her portrayal of Frida, and with the help from the unique direction of Julie Taymor, never lets the film’s vibrant pace fall flat for a moment.

When we first meet Frida, she is a young school girl who is already a mold of the free-spirited and rebellious woman she will become. She dresses up as a male for a family portrait, to the amusement of her father Guillermo (Roger Rees, “The Emperor’s Club”) and disapproval of her mother Matilde (Patricia Spindola, “Before Night Falls”). And it is she who drags some male classmates to see a nude female model, where she first locks eyes with Diego.

Tragedy strikes for the carefree young Frida when she is badly injured in a trolley accident. Bed-ridden for weeks, Frida quickly discovers the therapeutic appeal of art by scribbling on her cast and painting portraits of herself and her family members. She eventually takes those paintings to Diego, from whom she wants an honest opinion about her talent.

Drawn together at first by their passion for the art world, the pair’s friendship quickly turns to love, despite Diego’s womanizing. That love serves as the centerpiece for the rest of “Frida” as the film traces their tumultuous lives together. Despite Diego’s infidelities and Frida’s dalliances in bisexuality, the two remain committed to each other as they shake up the art world.

There is nothing subtle about Hayek’s performance as Frida. From the schoolgirl running around campus to the dying woman sketching on her deathbed, Hayek commits all of herself to Frida. “Feisty” is the word that comes to mind as Hayek dominates every scene she is in, coming off as vibrant as the colorful costumes she wears.

Important to the success of “Frida” is the chemistry between Frida and Diego, making the casting of Diego important as well. Molina is an excellent fit as Diego, playing off of Hayek’s performance beautifully. He helps us identify and, at times, feel sympathy for a man of questionable fiber. The way that Molina and Hayek interact helps the audience invest themselves in the on-screen relationship.

Though cast in small roles, it’s great to see three big-name actors make appearances in “Frida.” Ashley Judd sizzles as a lively Mexican photographer with whom Frida shares a sensual dance in one scene. Antonio Banderas, a frequent co-star with Hayek, is a tad more subtle as a friendly enemy of Diego’s. And Edward Norton is a surprise as Nelson Rockefeller, with whom Diego has a controversial encounter.

Taymor, best known for her Broadway direction of “The Lion King,” made some structural and visual choices that help makes “Frida” the film that it is.

Taymor ensures that non-Frida followers will be absorbed into the piece. She makes sure that the relationship between Frida and Diego, not Frida’s success as an artist, is the heart of the piece. Her art plays an important role in the film, but does not dominate in a way some might expect.

Also impressive about “Frida” is the interesting visual techniques. The trolley accident is portrayed in a tasteful, not gory, way. Slow-motion dominates the scene as glass and people shatter around her, but throwing gold dust into the mix as Frida crumples makes the scene that much more artistic and absorbing.

In another scene, Frida visualizes her debating doctors as strange, skull-headed puppets. And Frida’s own artwork also plays an important role as Hayek is often thrown into the portraits themselves, blurring the line between the art and the film.

Visually entertaining and strongly acted, “Frida” is not an ordinary, stale biopic. It is a colorful and honest portrayal of a interesting, relatable and very real woman.

Christopher Reilly is a junior magazine major. His reviews appear Fridays in The Daily Orange. E-mail him at passpopcorn@yahoo.com

Published on November 21, 2002 at 12:00 pm