It never formed properly.
We can try again, but you must rest.
- Mrs. Rivera... - But he's my son.
Mrs. Rivera.
I want to see him!
What did you do with him?!
I want to see my son!
Mr. Rivera, please...
What did you do with him?!
All right, chiquita, I'll take care of it.
Diego...
I promise. I promise.
What the hell is this?
Breakfast.
You trying to kill me?
I need fuel to work.
Listen, panzon, if you get any fatter,
it's going to be you in the hospital next time.
You know, I don't believe in God,
but I still thank him every day that he kept you safe for me.
Hmm, really?
I tell him he's got a lot of explaining to do.
From now on, I'm going to get Happy Rockefeller
to bring my breakfast over from 21.
Uh-oh.
Frida?
Frida...
You are here.
I left him.
And that was his parting gift?
I should have been there for you.
You're here now.
She'll throw a fit if I let her damn plants die.
We fought so much.
Sometimes I...
sometimes I would regret that I ever married her.
I would think how I hated her.
You do enough damage to one another,
you begin to think that way.
Well, then she gets sick and... I tend her garden.
The soul of our sister, Matilde,
rest in peace.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread...
You'd seen my work.
You knew my politics when you hired me.
Yeah, I showed you the sketches.
I discussed them with you and your father.
What were you expecting from me? A line of dancing girls?
No, but nor was I expecting a portrait of Lenin.
Now, let's be honest.
In the sketches that you showed me originally,
it was just some anonymous worker.
He transformed himself into Lenin of his own accord.
No, you transformed him into Lenin
because they took shots at us in the paper!
Do you really think that my family
is influenced by newspaper hacks?
I would've defended you.
I will defend you against any attack
because the work is thrilling.
As always.
But a portrait of Vladimir Lenin
will offend many people...
in particular, my father.
You see, you're putting me in an impossible position.
So I'm asking you to please change this one detail.
It's against my principles.
Yes, well, you've adjusted your principles
to come to our parties and eat at our table,
so I hope you will reconsider.
- Go home!
Go home!
You've got quite a crowd out there.
Half of them think you're the devil...
Half of them think you're a hero.
Tell me honestly what you think.
If you lie down with dogs, you should expect fleas.
No, seriously. This is really frightening me.
Why?
Because I'm actually wondering if he's right.
Perhaps I am being foolish, risking too much.
Diego, you can't lose.
Forget about artistic integrity.
You've done better ones than this, and you'll do more.
But whatever happens, you have aroused people.
You've made them get passionate about their ideals.
There's not another painter in the world who can say that.
He could walk in here tomorrow and tear it down.
You'd still have won.
Ah, maybe.
He doesn't have the balls.
Diego!
Seňor Rivera.
I must ask you one last time to reconsider your position.
I will not compromise my vision.
In that case...
this is your fee,
paid in full, as agreed.
But your services are no longer required.
It's my painting!
On my wall.
It's the people's wall! You bastard!
Diego, let's go home.
Frida, we have to fight these bastards.
They tore down the wall, but the painting is up here.
I'll do it again, and I'll use his money!
What money? We don't even have enough to get to Chicago.
We're not going to Chicago. They canceled the commission.
It's time to go home.
What?!
With my tail between my legs?
We don't belong here.
I am tired of these people,
and I am tired of who you are around them.
See that?!
Hmm? You want to go back to that?!
Yes! I want to go back to that!
Ahh.
I'm working.
I can see that.
I brought you some lunch.
The doctor says you should eat more, for once.
Puta madre!
Diego.
All right, that's enough.
Diego!
Diego, stop!
Lord X olotl...
prince of darkness.
You're the best art critic there is.
Only you see what shit this country has made of me.
Diego...
You need help.
Frida, why do you and Diego have separate houses?
Because we are two different people,
but our love makes us into one.
That's why we have the bridge.
So, you mean, the bridge is your love?
Yeah. That's a good way to put it.
Then why is it such a small bridge?
He's not working. He's sick.
He's depressed.
He says the people in this country are like mules
they're so stupid.
And he blames it all on me for making him come back.
That's ridiculous.
Still, you are lucky to have him.
I feel so desperate every day.
Sometimes I even think of going back.
Well, you're not.
What about a job?
You could help me out organizing Diego's studio.
Where do I start?
Don't touch anything.
Diego...
Don't worry. He's a pussycat.
Shh.
Go downstairs and play.
- Now!
- Oh, my God.
Ay!
My goddamn sister!
You're an animal!
Son of a bitch!
Frida... Fri...
Get out! Get out!
- Frida.
Frida.
I'm a beast.
Yes.
I-I-I-I'm an idiot, but it meant nothing, Frida, nothing.
Frida, talk to me!
There have been two big accidents in my life, Diego...
the trolley and you.
You are by far the worst.
Get out!
Out! Out! Go!
It's a limp up three flights of stairs,
I can't afford any furniture, and it's cold at night.
But at least I know who's fucking who in my own house.
Diego's not giving you any money?
I'd rather be poor.
She was my sister...
not some model.
My own sister.
To hell with him.
Find some work. Pay your own bills for a while.
I'll sell some paintings.
Not enough to cover your bar bill.
No, don't get me wrong... I love your paintings...
I'm just not sure you should count on them for a living.
They're tough, you know.
I mean, look at this.
What the hell is this?
It was in the damn papers.
A man stabbed his wife 22 times,
and when the judge asked him why he did it,
he said, "But it was just a few small nips."
Oh.
Mmh.
Who's that?
The ghost of Frida Kahlo.
Oh...
I remember her.
How are you?
Lonely.
Only you ghosts come to visit these days.
So...
how is your Diego?
I don't know why I called him that.
He was never mine. Never will be.
But he's fine. Painting, I guess.
And you? Are you also painting?
Yes.
And I want you to pose for me.
You don't even have to leave the house.
I want to leave the house.
All right, then.
We'll go somewhere different every day.
That sounds good.
You've painted everyone else in the family.
Yes.
A long time ago.
Remind me what I wanted then.
You wanted to be your own person.
Frida...
She never liked you, you know.
She told me you would only bring me troubles.
There is something I must discuss with you...
A favor I need to ask of you.
You've got a lot of nerve
to come here asking me to do you favors.
No, it's not for me. It's Trotsky.
The Norwegians have expelled him,
no other country will take him,
and Stalin wants him dead.
I have appealed to President Cardenas myself.
They have granted him asylum here in Mexico.
I want you to welcome him with me.
Let him live in your father's house.
I know it's a lot to ask,
but this is a difficult transition for them.
And you, Frida...
you bring life and warmth to any place.
Anyway...
Trotsky is a very great man in enormous danger,
and we have the opportunity to help him.
Yes, all right.
Such commotion.
I don't understand...
such a commotion for a philosopher.
A very great man, Papa.
A true revolutionary.
It's an important service we're doing.
If you admire him, why don't you advise him
not to get involved in politics?
Politics are ruinous.
Good advice, Papa.
I'm sure he'll agree.
I regret it was not possible for me to meet you at your boat.
Natalia and I, we are deeply indebted to you
for your generosity in these difficult times.
Your charming wife,
she has made the last leg of our trip such a delight.
We are profoundly honored
to have you and your wife in our home.
Ay, Diego, they're starving. Let's feed them.
Thank you.
No, i-it's true! It's true!
I could not believe it! These people are idiots!
They scream about Hitler's aggression,
a-a-and then sing Stalin's praises.
Aren't they the same creature?
Yes, but not exactly.
Of course they are both monsters,
but Hitler at least is a madman with a vision.
Vision? He's insane!
Of course he is insane,
but he has the ability to mobilize the people's minds,
whereas Stalin, he's... he is so dull.
There is the brutality,
but when you get right down to it,
Stalin is nothing but a bureaucrat,
and that is what is smothering our revolution.
They are the same,
but only in that the insanity of power has overruled them.
And between them,
they will consume the continent.
Madness.
Yes... but a challenge.
Look at us... Mexican, Russian, French...
in this wonderful new planet Rivera.
I tell you this, my friends,
in the experience of my lifetime,
the failure and the pain
have certainly outstripped the triumphs.
But this has not only not destroyed my faith...
my faith in reason, in truth, in human solidarity...
but, on the contrary,
it has made it indestructible.
I see the hope of the world in you,
and, from my heart, I thank you.
Na zdorov'ya!
- Na zdorov'ya! - Na zdorov'ya!
- Salud! - Salud!
Imagine living your life like that...
with a price on your head... and staying so calm.
Yes.
Good night, Diego.
Whoo.
Oh, stop it, Andre. I hate flattery.
I don't care. It is wonderful, wonderful work.
You've seen all these, I take it?
Of course. I tell her all the time.
Julian Levy took a couple of her paintings to New York
and sold both of them,
and she sold another four to that actor...
t-t-the gangster.
Edward G. Robinson.
Yeah, for $200 apiece.
He was robbed.
We haven't been able to fool anyone else.
My little paintings can't mean anything to anyone but me.
Stop!
Get down!
They put a bag by the door! Get back!
- Let's get inside. - Get back!
- Inside, quickly. - There is no time.
- Cover him! Hurry! - Inside. Everybody inside.
- Take him inside! - Frida!
Frida, what are you doing?!
Hallowed be Thy name...
I give you five seconds to get out of here.
One!
- Two!
It's all right.
Sorry about that.
It was my mother's sisters.
What do you mean?
They were leaving icons and sprinkling holy water.
They think this house is cursed,
and that you are the antichrist.
I want you to think about it seriously.
You could be part of the Mexican exhibition in Paris.
What I really want is a show in my own country.
Which they will give you
once you become famous somewhere else.
Your paintings should be seen.
So, who is coming up with me?
It's harder than you think.
Ah, everything is harder than we think.
I'll go.
Are you sure?
If an old man can do it, why not a cripple?
No, no, no, no. It's okay.
I don't think assassins are awaiting at the top.
I'll race you.
Frida...
how were you hurt?
I couldn't even tell you anymore.
I've been cut into, rebroke, and reset so many times.
I'm like a jigsaw puzzle.
And all the operations have done more damage
than the accident, for all I know.
Everything hurts.
But the leg... the leg is the worst.
But I'm all right.
At the end of the day,
we can endure much more than we think we can.
That's what I loved about your paintings...
that they carry that message.
You said that nobody would care about them,
but I think you are wrong...
because your paintings express what everyone feels...
that they are alone in pain.
Maybe.
Leon...
tell me about your children.
My children.
We knew the girls had been murdered and one of the boys.
We thought the other was still alive in the prison.
But that letter came.
He was executed, too.
They are all gone.
I have condemned my family...
as I am condemned.
You mustn't say that.
But it's true.
Stalin has more power than any tsar.
I'm alone with few friends and no resources
against the world's biggest killing machine.
So what can I do but keep on working... living.
You cannot imagine what a joy it is for me to be here,
to see all this.
It is the first time I felt like a real person in years.
In his book "State and Revolution,"
Lenin purged from the genuine teaching of Karl Marx
all the spurious ingredients
introduced by the social democracy.
John, I am picking it up from "social democracy."
Frida.
This is the book I mentioned.
Tell me what you think.
Thank you.
I'll be back in an hour.
No, no, no, no, no. It is better this way.
We will stop disrupting your lives.
We're not going far, just around the corner.
I wish you would reconsider, if only for security.
We will be more than safe. Trust me.
Do svidaniya.
Many thanks, my friend.
We'll see you soon.
Natalia...
It makes no sense. It was for his own well-being.
He's not thinking of his well-being.
He's thinking of hers.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about somebody
willing to sacrifice a little of their own pleasure
rather than go on hurting the woman who loves him.
Have you lost your mind?!
Go to hell, Diego.
You know what the consequences of this could be?
He's not scared. Why should you be?
Oh, dear, God, Frida, of all people, why?!
Because we wanted to.
You've broken my heart, Frida.
It hurts, doesn't it?
But why?
It was just a fuck, like a handshake.
I told you who I was when you married me.
Yes, you did, and I married you anyway,
and you promised to be loyal.
You've been my comrade,
my fellow artist,
my best friend.
But you've never been my husband.
Fridocha...
"Dear Diego, how are you, panzon?
Why didn't you tell me Paris was such a nightmare?"
"The French are the most pretentious bores in the world.
"I'd rather sit on the floor of a market in Toluca
"selling tortillas
"than have to listen to the prattling
of the artistic bitches of Paris."
"There really hasn't been as much interest
in the exhibition as Breton promised."
"Mexican artists are nothing but an exotic curiosity here."
"All in all, it's been lonely,
and I crave news from home."
"Diego, this letter is a lie.
"Paris has been good to me.
"But without you, it means nothing.
"All the rage of our 12 years together passes through me,
"and I'm left knowing that I love you more than my own skin.
"And though you may not love me as much,
"you do love me a little, don't you?
"If this is not true,
"I'll always be hopeful that it could be.
"I adore you.
Frida."
There are rumors going around that I wanted Trotsky killed.
We fought lately, it's true, but...
They may try to arrest me again.
Talk to the president.
No.
No, I'm going to California.
- California? - Yes.
And, Frida...
I want us to divorce.
For who...
that American actress?
Jesus, Diego.
No, Frida, no.
It will be better this way.
We have both done better as friends.
- I haven't. - You have.
You're doing very well on your own.
I'm proud of you. You don't need...
If you want to go, just go.
Listen to me...
I don't particularly care for Mr. Trotsky,
but we can't go around having political refugees
murdered in our country.
Now, can we?
Once more, where is your husband?
I don't have a husband.
Frida?
Oh, my God.
Cristi.
I'm so sorry.
Oh.
It was not your fault. It was mine.
I should have never put you in the room with him.
What did you do to get me out of here?
Diego. He went crazy when he heard.
He called President Cardenas immediately.
Ay.
Diego.
Not much more.
How long has your foot been like this?
Who knows? Let's take one disaster at a time.
Just patch me up so I can paint, please.
These are gangrened.
They'll have to come off.
You're lucky it hasn't spread to your leg.
You've lost weight.
Ah.
You've lost your toes.
Is that why you're here...
to offer your condolences?
I'm here to see how you are.
How do you feel?
Tired of answering that question.
Otherwise, like shit.
How are you?
I'm...
I'm here to...
ask you to marry me.
I don't need rescuing, Diego.
I do.
I've lost the toes of one foot.
My back is useless.
I have an infection of the kidneys.
I smoke. I drink. I curse.
I can't have children.
I have no money, and a stack of hospital bills.
Should I keep going?
That's practically a letter of recommendation.
Frida...
I miss... us.
They say you should never believe a limping dog
or the tears of a woman.
They're wrong.
Cristina!
Come on!
Aaah!
"Feet, what do I need you for if I have wings to fly?"
I want you to burn this Judas of a body.
I don't want to be buried.
I've spent enough time lying down.
Burn it.
Frida...
No, I don't think I'm Frida anymore.
I think all the Frida in me has disappeared.
Look at what's left.
Why do you stay?
You stupid girl.
Are you crazy? I forbid it!
Stop it, Diego! You can't force me to stay!
- Oh, yes, I can! - Give it to me!
No, Frida!
No, we've been through all this before!
I'm going, damn it! Give me back my fucking leg!
Doctor, please help me.
What's going on here?
I told her she had to stay in bed.
She demanded we call you.
- I'm going to my exhibition. - Frida...
I've waited for a show in my own country my whole life.
I'm not going to miss it.
If the bronchitis gets worse, it will turn into pneumonia.
Frida, under no circumstances are you to leave this bed.
I'll bring you back all the gossip, I promise.
Cristina!
There was this skinny kid with these eyebrows
shouting up at me,
"Diego, I want to show you my paintings!"
But, of course, she made me come down to her.
I did, and I've never stopped looking.
But I want to speak about Frida not as her husband,
but as an artist.
I admire her.
Her work is acid and tender...
hard as steel...
and fine as a butterfly's wing.
Loveable as a smile...
cruel as...
the bitterness of life.
I-I-I don't believe...
that ever before has a woman
put such agonized poetry on canvas.
Shut up, panzon.
Who died?
Where is the music?
You see, doctorcito, I followed your orders.
I didn't leave my bed.
Frida.
Ay, doctor, if you let me have this tequila,
I promise not to drink at my funeral.
It's a deal.
To Frida!
Are you all right?
Lie down with me.
25 years together, mi Dieguito.
Frida.
Happy silver.
It's not for two more weeks.
17 days.