REAL PERSON Mexican painter Frida Kahlo

PLAYED BY Salma Hayek

THE DISH Kahlo painted wrenching self-portraits, many inspired by the aftermath of a near-fatal bus accident when she was 18. But the artist was no pallid invalid. She had a tempestuous marriage to womanizing artist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), became an ardent Communist, and had torrid affairs with women and men (including Leon Trotsky).

THE REALITY Despite Kahlo's affair with Trotsky, she and Rivera (both of whom were briefly considered suspects following his murder) reportedly told friends that they had lured him to Mexico to get him killed.

WHAT YOU WON'T SEE Though the film attributes Kahlo's death to her failing health, the artist reportedly made several suicide attempts after her right leg was amputated below the knee (because of gangrene). Though no official autopsy was done after her death at 47, many consider her last diary entry to be a farewell note: ''I hope the leaving is joyful and I hope never to return.''

WHAT MAKES THE CUT Kahlo's infamous unibrow and mustache appear in the film, albeit haphazardly. Though Kahlo's 'stache pops up briefly at the beginning (the rest of the film is told in flashback), it disappears at the end.

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