'Tigers Are Not Afraid' A Review

Tigers Are Not Afraid is a crime drama with elements of magical realism. Set in a nameless Mexican city devastated by the drug war the film follows a young girl Estrella(Paola Lara) whose mother disappears. She then joins an orphan gang lead by Shine(Juan Ramón López) and the group tries to survive the harsh conditions of the city and roving cartel enforcers who seem to kidnap and kill indiscriminately.

The subject matter is exceptionally grave but not clearly set or developed and the psychological horror elements aren't particularly effective and undermine the effectiveness of the real life situations the film is attempting to convey. This incongruity makes it near impossible for the very young cast to find its footing, establish a coherent tone, or to portray characters with much depth. There are some successful moments with the young crew- moments of humor and camaraderie- but those are breezed by quickly and dashed with incredibly violent deaths which are in turn breezed by in favor of sequences of ineffective horror which, through context, seem only to be in Estrella's mind.

Certainly ambitious with important subject matter however neither the gritty drama or vengeful ghost ideas are cultivated with any real dimension and they are certainly not married. What's left is a film that doesn't particularly make sense, not only as a viewer but as to it's intention. We are not left with a real sense of the ongoing conflict or it's cost, what we are left with is the occasional and graphic visuals of the violent deaths of children that, unfortunately, don't carry the weight they should because time has not been taken to set up the circumstances or the characters.

Don't See It.