There is a lot to take away from writer and director Amanda Nell Eu’s film Tiger Stripes, an allegorical horror film about puberty and all of the nightmares associated with it. Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is 11 and going on 12, and she is carefree and just trying to embrace her life until she starts to experience horrifying physical changes to her body. – all stemming from being the first of her friends to get her period. The film is set in a small rural village in Malaysia, where Zaffan’s life is structured around strict school routines and the rules of the Muslim faith. Thus, there are some cultural barriers (or, perhaps limited understanding of some cultural practices) that reduce my ability to make all of the allegorical connections. There is also an innate silliness to some of the performances that simply didn’t work for me.
Where the film really finds a fit with its demographic is with the introduction to what is clearly Tiktok. Right away, we meet Zaffan and her friends, Farrah (Deena Ezral) and Mariam (Piqa), who are in the bathroom recording a dance. The aspect ratio matches the familiar vertical screen in that moment – something that comes back a few times in the film – and Zaffan’s flippant attitude is made clear right away. Her teenage angst is palpable, and it only escalates as her “changes” slowly single her out. Farrah quickly comments on Zaffan’s bra, and her judgemental attitude singles her out as the prime antagonist.
The title, mixed with the “changing” body of puberty – plus the horror genre – implies some degree of body horror and transformation. As far as the visible horror elements, they get to be quite gross at times, where I had to look away. Fingernails are an instant “time to check the ceiling” signal for this fan of horror, and that’s just one of a few moments. On the other hand, the “transformation” requires the young actors to channel their inner beast a few times. These moments felt silly, and not at the fault of the performer. It feels like it would be a challenge for an actor of any level to pull off what is asked of these young actors. There is also a severe degree of subjective expectation with those moments – but for me, these really bring the movie down a few levels.
Overall, Tiger Stripes is a solid film where not all of the themes fully connect for me, with the caveat that it could be a cultural barrier preventing them from doing so rather than a fault of the film. However, as it is my subjective experience in which I am able to interpret the film, it doesn’t quite succeed at everything it’s trying to do. Still, Tiger Stripes is a solid addition to an ever-growing genre of body-horror-tinged coming-of-age films.
Tiger Stripes is at Fantasia International Film Festival right now.
Rating: Decent Watch
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