First time feature filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu takes on puberty for “Tiger Stripes,” the critically acclaimed feature that won the Grand Prize of Critics’ Week during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Set in a rural Malaysian village, “Tiger Stripes” follows 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) as she discovers a terrifying secret about her body. Ostracized by her community, Zaffan fights back, learning that to be free she must embrace the body she feared, emerging as a proud, strong woman, all while trying to balance her mother (Jun Lojong) and father’s (Khairunazwan Rodzy) expectations.
The film is shot on phones and incorporates TikTok, with Jimmy Gimferrer serving as cinematographer. “Tiger Stripes” made history at Cannes 2023 by being the first feature from a Malaysian female director to play at the festival.
The IndieWire review called “Tiger Stripes” a “well-made, eminently watchable illustration of the ‘monster’ that so many young girls are told to see themselves as.”
Eu told The Guardian that horror films were her “safe space” genre due to the more feminist tropes.
“It was a place where I could see female characters be evil or selfish or greedy or wild,” Eu said. “More realistic films terrify me a lot more than monsters and blood.”
Eu explained that while “Tiger Stripes” was selected by Malaysia as its Oscar entry, she had to disown the version that was released in Malaysian cinemas due to it being censored. “As Malaysians, we know that we have to go through censorship. You’re ready for it. But what hurt was the things they cut out were the heart of the film. It was censoring the beauty of a young girl, her freedom,” Eu said. “With the cuts, the film is pointless.”
Eu added of disowning the feature, “It was terrifying. But I had to say something at the end of the day. I was like: Screw it. Let’s just do it.. We were celebrated and selected for the Oscar entry: ‘You make Malaysia proud, but don’t show this to Malaysians.’ It’s almost comedic. Painful and comedic at the same time.”
“Tiger Stripes” premieres June 14 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
