Capsule Review: Tiger Stripes (2023)

Tiger Stripes made history as the first Malaysian film to be awarded at Cannes. A grand prize for Critics’ Week, to be exact. The film marked the fourth time a Malaysian film was featured at Cannes after U-Wei Saari’s Kaki Bakar a.k.a. The Arsonist (1995), Chris Chong Chan Fui’s Karaoke (2009) and Woo Ming Jin’s The Tiger Factory (2010). It has also been selected to represent Malaysia for next year’s Academy Awards in the hope of being shortlisted in the Best International Feature Film category.

The story takes place in the rural village area where we first meet Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal). She’s a liberal 12-year-old girl who doesn’t care about breaking stereotypes as a Muslim girl. This includes removing her hijab while she’s in school, showing off her bra, doing TikTok dances and loitering in the toilet with her classmates and best friends, Farah (Deena Ezral) and Mariam (Piqa).

Then, one day, Zaffan begins to notice and feel something different about herself. She had her period and even experienced significant changes in her body, complete with mysterious rashes and peeled-off fingernails. Her best friends start to avoid her like a plague, especially Farah, who can’t stand how stink she smells because of her menstruation.

Amanda Nell Eu, who also wrote the screenplay, gamely incorporated David Cronenberg-style body horror and old-school Malaysian folklore horror genre. The latter is evident with Zaffan’s subsequent transformation into a tiger-esque monster — flashing purple eyes, growling expressions and animal-like stance. The special effects are more of a hokey, B-movie style that cleverly pays homage to the black-and-white Malay horror of yesteryear.

But beyond its genre fulfilment lies a few things to unpack within Amanda Nell Eu’s layered screenplay. There’s a subtle coming-of-age angle that deals with underlying themes of puberty, reminding me of Brian De Palma’s Carrie and John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps, as well as loss of innocence and teen angst seen in Zaffan’s plight of entering womanhood. Recurring shots of a caterpillar signified the metamorphosis of her trying to break free from social conservatism.

The story also covers the issue of school bullying and the mass hysteria phenomenon that affected the young girls in the rural school, resulting in a drastic but fascinating tonal shift later in the film. The introduction of Shaheizy Sam nearly steals the show as Dr Rahim, a shaman in charge of the exorcism. His character’s laidback and eccentric personality may look as if the film desperately trying to lighten up the grim and taboo-heavy storyline with elements of comedy. But surprisingly, the amusing tone works well in its favour as the shaman’s unorthodox rituals and questionable antics will certainly hit home for local audiences.

Tiger Stripes benefits from great acting all around, notably on newcomer Zafreen Zairizal giving her all as the rebellious Zaffan alongside Deena Ezral and Piqa. The film may have been filmed on a tight budget but the production values are surprisingly top-notch. Jimmy Gimferrer’s atmospheric cinematography captures the surrealistic undertone within the idyllic nature of the rural village area. Gabber Modus Operandi, the Indonesian duo comprised of Ican and DJ Kasimyn, deserves equal mention for their uniquely eclectic musical soundscape that perfectly mirrors the uncertainty and shifting tone of the film.

Certain scenes are rough around the edges and at times, frustratingly hazy, given the film’s episodic narrative structure. But despite the shortcomings, Tiger Stripes still proved that Amanda Nell Eu has what it takes to make a reasonably solid debut feature.