Tabu (2012)
Spring is not only the best time of the year because everything is blooming and smells good (in fact, most springs are rather cumbersome because I have a tough time containing my feelings), it’s also the time when Game of Thrones and Mad Men air on TV. Typically it makes me want to watch movies much less when after GoT and Mad Men is before GoT and Mad Men, but recently we established a little film club, watching one film every week. The backlog I am looking at is terrifying.
“Tabu” was the first film I chose after coming back from Lisbon, and I squealed like a little girl when I recognized Lisbon’s airport. Other than that, the film is not really about Lisbon at all (that’s fine) but in a mildly disturbing and romanticized colonial setting in Africa. Considering that I am typically not a fan of this setting, the movie did amazingly well. I really liked its two-part structure and how the past of these lovers got unveiled slowly. I think it’s incredibly romantic to think of someone at your moment of death, after so many years and unspeakable things got between you. “Tabu” depicts a beautiful tragedy, and I thought it was lovely how this one moment in life turned Aurora into an old, lonely woman, estranged from her child because the birth of the baby led to the tragedy.
Needless to say that I was really into the style of “Tabu” although I knew that Miguel Gomes had an impeccable sense for style ever since “The face you deserve”. I love all homages to silent films, and this one was much more sophisticated and lovable than the other silent film of the year.
Unlike “The face you deserve”, we are presented with a very clear storyline in “Tabu”, and I am glad because I think Gomes is quite a great storyteller. He needs to make more movies, not just every 4 years. But first, I need to watch “Our beloved month of August”.