Things I Watched: Tabu Is A Whimsical Throwback to the Spirit of New Wave Filmaking (With Crocodiles)

Far be it from me to start this post by sounding like an eager, raving fanboy but I think Tabu is a fantastic film. I remember hearing about it a few years ago, but I put off watching it mostly because I expected to be the type of sombre, arty affair that I have to be in a certain kind of mood to watch. But alas, I was wrong because only the first part is like that.

Set in a modern-day Lisbon, it tells the story of three women. When one of them, Aurora, dies it’s revealed her proclivity for strange and exotic tales is not merely the extent of her fervent imagination. In fact, many of the things she talked about actually happened, much to the surprise of her friends. This sets the film up for the second part: a wonderfully narrated sojourn into an ill-fated romance between her and a Portuguese colonialist.

I admit you have to look beyond the political connotations. As some critics have pointed out colonialism wasn’t exactly fun and games for the Angolans who weren’t part of the white Portuguese's lifestyle. This is true and valid, yes, but from a purely film-perspective, Miguel Gomes’ take on legendary filmmaker F.W. Murnau’s silent-film-of-the-same-name is a joyous escapade that draws much from 60s European new-wave films.

To me, that's impressive because I love those kinds of movies. Further in the impressive stakes is its use of narration; its sumptuous black and white photography; and its frequent musical interludes (a big shout out to The Ramones, Be My Baby).

So, yeah, rather than being the type of difficult art-house affair that only die-hard cinephiles could possibly appreciate, it is, in fact, the type of film I’d recommend to anybody looking to revel in the delights of foreign film-making. Colour me surprised.

//