The Taste of Mango 2024

The Taste of Mango marks the compelling debut of Chloe Abrahams, who crafts a mesmerizing, deeply personal exploration of crucial themes such as family ties, memory, identity, love, and the impact of violence. At the heart of this film are three remarkable women: the director’s own mother, Rozana; her grandmother, Jean; and—of course—the filmmaker herself. Their intertwined narratives oscillate between struggles and moments of joy, showcasing the complex nature of legacy and the ways in which we can both wound and safeguard our loved ones.

During her childhood, Chloe was often caught in the emotional crossfire between Rozana and Jean during family gatherings, which filled her with a longing for a future where peace would reign between them. Growing up in the UK, she was acutely aware of the pain that resided within Rozana and often overheard snippets about Jean’s turbulent marriage back in Sri Lanka. As Chloe transitions into young adulthood, she dedicates her time to spending intimate moments with both Rozana and Jean, whether in the vibrant streets of London or the culturally rich Colombo, Sri Lanka. This precious time allows her to listen to and record their life stories, ultimately revealing a personal and collective tapestry that navigates through the challenges of physical and sexual violence while emphasizing the enduring strength of familial bonds that stretch across distances and time. Additionally, it grapples with the emotional toll of grief, estrangement, and the flickering prospects of healing, joy, and reconciliation.

Chloe, drawing on her rich background as a portrait painter and video artist, adopts a unique and confident cinematic style that transcends traditional boundaries. By integrating unfiltered camcorder footage, she cleverly shifts toward metaphor, deliberately focusing on various textures and pushing the limits of close-ups, both emotionally and physically. Her voice-over serves as a direct dialogue with her mother, intertwined with a haunting original score by Suren Seneviratne, seamlessly merging dreamlike melodies and 1970s American country tunes. The culmination of these artistic choices invites audiences to plunge into the depths of the filmmaker’s consciousness, where time, sensory memories, dreams, and imagination converge. As glimpses of the past and the present nudge those painful memories from their silent recesses, the tightly wound knots of trauma begin to unravel, creating space for healing and understanding.