Growing up can be a nightmare, which makes coming-of-age stories and horror such a perfect combo. Malaysian writer and director Amanda Nell Eu creates an unexpected cultural take on those stories in her feature film debut, Tiger Stripes. The film tells the story of Zaffan, a rebellious preteen girl living in a rural, conservative community in Malaysia. As puberty hits, she begins to go through physical and emotional changes the lead to dramatic consequences. At first glance, Tiger Stripes seems akin to Uterus Horror films such as Ginger Snaps and Blue My Mind. The film begins by allowing the audience to get to know Zaffan, her friends, and the social dynamics both at school and in the village Zaffan calls home. Shortly after, Zaffan gets her first period. From there, the film uses horror elements to emphasize not only the physical horrors and changes associated with a young girl going through puberty, but also the social stigma thrust onto girls going through completely natural changes they have no control over.

While this is a premise that has been done before, Eu gives the story a unique spin by having the story so deeply rooted in Malaysian culture. This is first noticed in the more religious elements. Zaffan goes to a Muslim girls school, which means the girls dress in conservative uniforms and have daily prayers. When Zaffan gets her first period she is immediately singled out, as menstruating women do not participate in prayer. This means, while the rest of her classmates are in prayer, Zaffan sits alone. This ostracism only gets worse as the other girls, some who were even her best friends at one point, ridicule Zaffan. They say things like she’s dirty, she’s a slut, she has demons, all because she got her period. The irony being these young girls will eventually go through the exact same thing. As for the body-horror transformation aspect, instead of puberty marking a change info a wolf or a mermaid, Zaffan gains the physical traits of a tiger. It makes the film not only stand apart from other similar stories, but it also makes it more deeply rooted in Malaysian culture. In the rural areas, like where Zaffan lives, tigers are an ever-looming threat. It sends a message to the audience that this culture fears girls becoming women as much as they do the deadly big cats.

The story is a compelling one, though there are certain elements that seem to get lost in translation. This is most apparent when a sort of mass hysteria breaks out among the school girls. This leads to a “doctor” being called in to monitor the girls and to try to help them when necessary. The hysteria, and the role this “doctor” plays, almost comes across as an afterthought that was simply added in to lengthen the film to feature-length. In fact, there are a few sub-plots scattered throughout the film that sometimes add to the audience’s understanding of Zaffan’s journey, while others simply add confusion or leave unanswered questions. This makes me believe the story might have worked better as a short film, or perhaps the script should have gone through a few more revisions before going into production. The end result is still quite compelling and fun to watch, especially for a debut feature film, but the film has a sense of being many scenes stitched together, rather than a full cohesive story.

One of the smartest decisions in the making of Tiger Stripes was casting actors who actually look like preteen girls. Zafreen Zairizal makes her acting debut as Zaffan. Zairizal excels at portraying this character. She conveys how many young people, especially in more conservative communities, often rebel against their upbringing starting around the age of puberty. Zaffan loves her friends and family, but even before her transformation she seemed like an outsider because of her unwillingness to succumb to the way of life she’s expected to follow. Once her transformation begins, Zairizal is also fantastic at playing the more feral and animalistic side of Zaffan. Young actors Deena Ezral and Piqa make their debuts in this film as Zaffan’s two closest friends, eventually turned enemies. Individually, these two are great, but it’s when all three actors are together that the performances feel the most authentic. The sisterhood, the jealousy, and the easy cruelness all make these girls feel like real people experiencing the highs and lows of youthful friendship.

Throughout the film, there are daring visual risks and eye-catching stylistic choices. Tiger Stripes relies almost entirely on practical effects. While these effects can often look a bit goofy and unrealistic, there is still a clear vision that results in iconic imagery. Most of these effects are used on Zaffan. From the early stages of her transformation, which involved itchy spots and hair loss, to the more drastic tiger face and paws, it’s apparent a lot of care went into Zaffan’s physical changes. Even with some of these effects obviously being impacted by the budget, they don’t detract from the film’s quality. In fact, the only practical effect that is, unfortunately, laughable when it comes on screen is a severed head that is very very obviously a mannequin head. As for CGI, there is only a bit used that mostly doesn’t add much to the film, with the exception of glowing neon pink eyes that become a graphic, stylistic indication of tiger women.

Tiger Stripes is a fresh coming-of-age horror story giving a Malaysian cultural spin on the classic tale of girlhood, growing up, and transformation. Even with the sometimes uneven and meandering plot, there is no denying the potential of this film. It showcases the highs and lows of puberty from the perspective of a young girl, brought to life with stunning performances from the young cast, all while addressing the cultural stigma associated with a menstruation. Eu serves up a fantastic feature film debut that is sure to make horror audiences take notice. Tiger Stripes tears into select theaters on June 14th, then comes to VOD on July 9th.

OVERALL RATING: 6.5/10