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‘The Taste of Mango’ Review: A Poetic Documentary Examines the Reverberation of Abuse Over Three Generations
Chloe Abrahams uses some experimental methods to moving, accessible effect in probing her Sri Lankan mother and grandmother’s traumatic pasts.
Three generations of women confront the elephant in their room — a stepfather’s sexual abuse — in Chloe Abrahams ’ “ The Taste of Mango.” The filmmaker’s first feature reflects her background in gallery video art as it mixes impressionistic visuals, diaristic elements, home movies and other factors into a documentary that prioritizes emotional clarity over reportage. The title comes from Abrahams’ awareness that both her mother Rozana and grandmother Jean aka “Nana” consumed voluminous amounts of that fruit while pregnant — so the director “tastes” it when thinking of them. Despite such heavy shared baggage, the trio is capable of a collective joie de vivre amply displayed in scenes of them horsing around in silly wigs, or singing along to the old American country and western songs (“I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” “Stand by Your Man,” etc.)
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