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Tabu

Play trailer Poster for Tabu 2012 1h 58m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 61 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.
Tabu

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Michael O'Sullivan Washington Post 04/05/2013
3/4
It takes a while to get to the meat of the movie, but it's well worth the wait. Go to Full Review Ty Burr Boston Globe 02/14/2013
2.5/4
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. Go to Full Review John Hartl Seattle Times 02/07/2013
3/4
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. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 03/16/2024
5/10
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] Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 03/02/2024
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... Go to Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages 11/21/2023
The strength of Tabu lies in how powerfully sex is captured, offering aural and visual textures that inspire sensorial memories. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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03/05/2020 Visually beautiful, but a narrative that is mostly impenetrable and renders the film unengaging See more 10/27/2018 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. See more 04/24/2016 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. See more 01/01/2016 Pure poetry! Loved every frame! See more 04/26/2015 strange film hard to classify See more 04/11/2015 A quiet masterpiece! See more Read all reviews
Tabu

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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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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Tabu

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Movie Info

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
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