Tabu

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Tabu

2012

1h 58m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

62 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Two elderly women, Pilar (Teresa Madruga) and Santa (Isabel Muñoz Cardoso), try to find the man that their recently deceased friend, Aurora (Laura Soveral), had a passionate affair with in her youth.

Critics Consensus

Mysterious and visually striking, Tabu rewards audiences' patience with a swooning romance shot with experimental flair.

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

It takes a while to get to the meat of the movie, but it's well worth the wait.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 5, 2013

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

It almost seems a parody of willfully obscure art-house fare. Yet it has an undertow that sucks you in as often as it strands you back on shore.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 14, 2013

Full Review

John Hartl

Seattle Times

A kind of jigsaw puzzle, spiced up with references to "White Mischief," "Out of Africa" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," that will frustrate some audiences and fascinate others.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 7, 2013

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Ezequiel Obregón

EscribiendoCine

Tabu displays a love of cinema in each frame. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 10/10

May 28, 2024

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Gomes gives it a sobriety that places in the frame sociopolitical readings about the roots of colonial oppression, but there is not much emotional depth and the superfluous characters are barely outlined. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Mar 16, 2024

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

This black-and-white tone poem is no political statement on colonialism but a hushed tragedy of young, reckless love in an isolated world and rugged landscape...

Mar 2, 2024

Full Review

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Audience Member

Visually beautiful, but a narrative that is mostly impenetrable and renders the film unengaging

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It may hit some marks technically but on the whole Tabu is a pretentious bore that attempts and, evidently, succeeds at convincing the audience that it is something more.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A simple story which unravels slowly. The presentation and the stylish is what makes the movie great. The narration, the monochrome cinematography, the silent movie sequences, just keep adding depth to the movie. Does leave you with a smile in the end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pure poetry! Loved every frame!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

strange film hard to classify

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A quiet masterpiece!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Miguel Gomes

Director

Teresa Madruga

Pilar

Laura Soveral

Old Aurora

Ana Moreira

Young Aurora

Henrique Espírito Santo

Old Ventura

Carloto Cotta

Young Ventura

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Synopsis

Two elderly women, Pilar (Teresa Madruga) and Santa (Isabel Muñoz Cardoso), try to find the man that their recently deceased friend, Aurora (Laura Soveral), had a passionate affair with in her youth.

Director: Miguel Gomes
Producer: Maren Ade, Sandro Aguilar, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane, Janine Jackowski, Luís Urbano, Jonas Dornbach, Thomas Ordonneau
Screenwriter: Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (DVD): Oct 29, 2013
Runtime: 1h 58m