Tabu

Odd but somehow compelling, a dream in black & white.

Paying a loose tribute to Murnau's Tabu, Miguel Gomes strange yet poetic films defies classification. Structured in two parts, the first half ‘A Lost Paradise' is set in contemporary Lisbon and tells the story of an elderly lady, Aurora, and her kind neighbour Pilar.

Part two, ‘Paradise' jumps back in time 60 years to Africa and the story of an illicit love affair between the young Aurora and a dashing Italian with a rakish past.

Highly stylised and with a story that is told via voiceover and ambient sound rather than dialogue, Tabu is challenging but ultimately rewarding: formally daring, visually ravishing and, finally, emotionally compelling.