When a screenplay covers several decades, or is set in a distant location, costumes help the audience know when and where each scene takes place. The 2002 film Frida is based on the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek). Costume designer Julie Weiss dressed Hayek first in a schoolgirl uniform, then as a young matron in the stylish dresses of the 1920s, then in colorful hand-embroidered MexicanIndian blouses. Kahlo’s changing costumes may reflect her .