Movies Like Tabu (2012)

Tabu is a 2012 drama, romance film from Miguel Gomes with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Mission and Exorcist: The Beginning.

Drama Romance

The Mission

1986

When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.

7.4

MagicScore

Exorcist: The Beginning

2004

Years before Father Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil’s soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa.

5.4

MagicScore

The Soft Skin

1964

Pierre Lachenay is a well-known publisher and lecturer, married to Franca and father of Sabine. He starts a love affair with air hostess Nicole, which Pierre is hiding, but he cannot stay away from her.

7.1

MagicScore

In the White City

1983

Fed up with the sea, Paul, a Swiss mechanic working in the noisy bowels of a merchant ship, lands in Lisbon.

6.9

MagicScore

After Everything

2023

Besieged by writer’s block and the crushing breakup with Tessa, Hardin travels to Portugal in search of a woman he wronged in the past – and to find himself. Hoping to win back Tessa, he realizes he needs to change his ways before he can make the ultimate commitment.

6.9

MagicScore

The Russia House

1990

Barley Scott Blair, a Lisbon-based editor of Russian literature who unexpectedly begins working for British intelligence, is commissioned to investigate the purposes of Dante, a dissident scientist trapped in the decaying Soviet Union that is crumbling under the new open-minded policies.

6.1

MagicScore

Café Society

2016

The story of a young man who arrives in Hollywood during the 1930s hoping to work in the film industry, falls in love, and finds himself swept up in the vibrant café society that defined the spirit of the age.

6.5

MagicScore

Recollections of the Yellow House

1989

Lisbon, 1989. A middle-aged poor man, tormented by an illness, lives in a cheap room in a family boarding house, in the old section of the city's waterfront.

8.2

MagicScore

Elsa & Fred

2014

After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.

6.0

MagicScore

#10

Poor Things

2023

Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

The Lion from Estrela

1947

Anastácio lives in Lisbon and is fanatic for Sporting CP, one of the city's football teams. When the team travels to face Porto, he follows it with the family, staying in house of his friend, Mr. Barata, pretending to be rich.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

Lisbon Story

1994

Wim Wenders' homage to Lisbon and films. A sound engineer obtains a mysterious postcard from a friend who at the moment is filming a film in Lisbon. He sets out across Europe to find him and help him.

7.1

MagicScore

#13

The Green Years

1963

Nineteen-year-old Julio heads to Lisbon from the provinces and gets a job as a shoemaker for his uncle Raul. But when he meets Ilda, a confident young housemaid who becomes a regular shop visitor, his working-class values collide with the bourgeois trappings of modern life.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

In Vanda's Room

2001

An unflinching, fragmentary look at a handful of self-destructive, marginalized people, but taking as main focus the heroin-addicted Vanda Duarte.

6.9

MagicScore

#15

Cinema Paradiso

1988

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

8.4

MagicScore

#16

Junkyard Dog

2023

Dog and Mirales have been friends since childhood, and live in a small village in the south of France. They spend most of the day hanging around in the streets. To kill time, Mirales has got into the habit of teasing Dog, to the extent that he has become a sort of whipping boy. But one summer, Dog meets Elsa, and they fall in love. Eaten away with jealousy, Mirales will have to get over his past to be able to grow and find his place…

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Flesh and Bone

1993

Haunted by memories of his father murdering a family, Arlis Sweeney prefers to keep to himself, focusing his energy on his work. One day, the traumatic past that eats away at him returns when he meets Kay Davies, a woman connected to the bloody event. Against all odds, Arlis and Kay fall in love; however, when his father, Roy, reappears in his life -- with the coldhearted Ginnie in tow -- Arlis must deal with his past demons.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Amélie

2001

At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?

7.9

MagicScore

#19

Rosemary's Baby

1968

A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.

7.8

MagicScore

#20

Truth and Justice

2019

Estonia, 1872. The uncompromising new owner of Robber's Rise must battle with hard work, his spiteful neighbor and with his own family and beliefs to transform the poor land into a flourishing farm of his dreams.

7.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Tabu?

The top films similar to Tabu by MovieMagicScore are The Mission (7.4), Exorcist: The Beginning (5.4), The Soft Skin (7.1). Each shares drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Tabu worth watching?

Tabu holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 173 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Tabu?

Tabu (2012) is a drama, romance film directed by Miguel Gomes, starring Teresa Madruga, Laura Soveral, Ana Moreira.

Where can I find more recommendations like Tabu?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Mission Movies like Exorcist: The Beginning Movies like The Soft Skin Movies like In the White City Movies like After Everything Movies like The Russia House

About movies like Tabu

This ranked list pairs Tabu (2012), a drama and romance film from Miguel Gomes, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Teresa Madruga take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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