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Toronto After Dark Review: ‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ is a Beautiful, Brilliant, Dark Fairytale

Published

6 years ago

October 12, 2018

With Tigers Are Not Afraid, writer/director Issa López has crafted an emotionally beautiful fairytale, tangled in the horrific underworld of cartel violence in Mexico.

Tigers Are Not Afraid begins with a title card that provides the tragic, sobering facts of the drug war. Since its beginning in 2006, 160,000 people have been killed and 53,000 have disappeared in Mexico. There are no numbers for the children they’ve left behind.

The film follows a young girl, Estrella (Paola Lara), as she returns home from school to find her mother missing. She soon joins with a group of four orphans – not unlike Wendy and the Lost Boys – and they form their own gang to care and watch out for each other while evading violent gangsters.

Tigers Are Not Afraid brings a heartfelt magic to a dark world by giving Estrella the power of three wishes. As each wish is granted, the twisted results weave an important thread into the stunning tapestry of the film’s story.

For a film that is so deeply rooted in the wonder, fear, and delightful logic of children, it’s vital to have an incredible cast to carry it through. López cast five children with no previous acting experience. In a brilliant move by López, they shot in chronological order and the children were never shown the full script, so their pure, raw emotion is beautifully authentic.

The children’s performances are incredibly honest and absolutely wonderful. Their happy, playful moments are an utter joy to watch, and their sadness and fear is completely heartbreaking.

Juan Ramón López as gang leader El Shine is particularly mesmerizing. There’s an emotional complexity in his performance that projects maturity far beyond his young age. He’s mastered the art of stillness and communicates volumes with just the look in his eyes. This kid is impressive.

Part of the brilliance of Tigers Are Not Afraid lies in López’s understanding of the young characters and the way children interpret and rationalize things. In one scene, we hear the kids describe the gruesome, over-the-top methods of the Huascas (the local, particularly sinister gang). Shortly after, audio from a news report playing in the background provides a far more accurate description of their criminal activity.

It’s a moment that stands out to the adult viewer, reminding you of the dramatic ways your imagination would fill in situational blanks as a child. We would jump to the most logical conclusion in a time when our logic was full of elaborate, fantastical ideas.

Other times, these youthful interpretations are far more optimistic. The children marvel at the possibilities of found objects; they make a dilapidated building into a magnificent home, full of opportunity and beauty.

At its heart, Tigers Are Not Afraid is about a loss of innocence. The reality of a constant potential for danger is never lost on these children, but because it has been and continues to be such a normal part of their lives, they adapt. As children do. They see the darkness in the world but still continue to reach for the light.

Supernatural elements blend with the gritty, harsh reality of the story to paint a rich, magical world. Ghostly apparitions – victims of gang violence – are not graceful, ethereal beings. They are full of tragic rage. It’s easy to feel Estrella’s fear when she’s confronted by these horrific specters.

Other moments have a warm, fairytale quality that lifts your heart in a swell of emotion. This elaborate dreamscape is held in a delicate balance that López has perfected. She makes it look so effortless and easy that it’s as natural as breathing.

Tigers Are Not Afraid deserves to be ranked in the highest echelon, among films like The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth (it’s worth noting that Guillermo Del Toro was such a fan that he’s announced that he will be producing a film for López).

It’s beautiful in every sense of the word, yet fully embraces its own darkness. There’s so much that could be said about this film, but instead, I urge you to see it for yourself. Nothing else could do it justice.

Check out the trailer and poster below, and click here to read about the 4 other films I cannot wait to see at Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

18 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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News

Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

19 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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News

BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

19 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.