An impossible gem of a film. It seems impossible that you can push the form of a documentary so far towards social realist aesthetics and structure. It seems impossible that there are people like Shabu who so embody the heart and spirit of their community with all its optimism, all its joy, all its sorrow, and all its rhythmic Blackness. Like GAGARINE, SHABU exposes the beauty of social housing projects that seem impossible under neoliberalism.
Full review available on Cinetopia podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cinetopia/episodes/JULY-2023-on-EHFM-EDINBURGH-FILM-FEST-PROGRAMME-LAUNCH-PLUS-REVIEWS-OF-MISSION-IMPOSSIBLE--SHABU--and-ASTEROID-CITY-e2731d5