‘Tigers Are Not Afraid follows a gang of five children as they try to survive the horrific violence of the cartels and the ghosts that are created every day by the drug war.
I first heard of this film after both Frightfest London and Frightfest Glasgow featured it as their headline film in 2018, and it’s great to finally see it get released via the streaming service Shudder.
The film looks to be influenced by 2008’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘City of God’ and even ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ as it tells a fairy tale-like story whilst also mixing in elements of the, often frightening, real world that the main characters face every day. And, while it is a hard watch, it’s brilliant. It tackles its subject matter in a direct fashion and doesn’t soften anything, much like the films just mentioned. However, it also has some fantasy elements. An example being the very beginning where main character, Estrella (Paola Lara), is haunted by the ghost of her mother, which leads to the main plot. There’s also a story revolving around a Prince that turns into a tiger who then yearns to be turned back only to find they can’t. The story that’s told is a great way to lay out the themes of the film too: the characters are essentially forced into doing criminal acts to survive, but they are still children who have been forced to grow up to survive the horrors of the hometown that they live in. So, then they stay as tigers: fierce creatures who are not afraid, hence the title. Like previously mentioned, the symbolism of the story is a fantastic way to introduce viewers to the next 80 minutes.
What also makes this great is the rawness of the film and the subject matters it deals with. The cinematography is done in a handheld style, meaning a lot of the shots aren’t static. This gives ‘Tigers are not Afraid’ a realistic approach compared to films that display a more cinematic layout. This means that the sequences and content that’s shown are more impactful because it feels real, even when there are some scenes that are drawing the line between reality and the children’s imagination. Another aspect that makes this more realistic is the main characters. The children didn’t have any acting experience prior to this, and that was an important factor into casting them. Furthermore, they were rarely shown a script, so the majority of their acting is actually genuine. While that may sound harsh on paper, when viewing the film, it somewhat elevates the scenes and, dare I say, is a positive. This wouldn’t have worked as well if the children were played by big names or professional actors.
However, like previously mentioned, this is a hard watch. This is not a film for everyone and it’s not afraid to dive into the harsh realities of the drug wars. Because of this, it does feature some dark imagery and unpleasant themes. However, this is also a film worth watching and worth remembering.
This has been praised by the likes of Guillermo Del Toro and Stephen King, and I can see why. While it does tackle some dark themes, ‘Tigers are not Afraid’ is a film that should be added to every horror fans watch list. Its striking, disturbing and compelling all at once. The actors are fantastic and them having no acting experience further elevates the realistic approach the film is going for, and it works beautifully. But it also works as a modern fairy tale.
If you missed it at film festivals in 2018, it will be coming to Shudder and DVD/Blu Ray later this year and I highly recommend checking it out.
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