Tigers Are Not Afraid is a Mexican dark fantasy/horror movie written and directed by Issa Lopez. It originally came out in 2017, but it reached a wider audience (including me) when the horror streaming service Shudder released it in America last year. Even with its release here in the States, though, it's still not very well-known outside the horror community, and that's really unfortunate because it's more than just one of the best horror movies of the last decade. This is one of those films that can transcend the genre and appeal to people who aren't normally horror fans, so I would even say that it's one of the best movies to come out in years, horror or not.
It follows a girl named Estrella whose mother goes missing, and she eventually becomes part of a "gang" of homeless orphans. The kids get into trouble with a real gang, a human trafficking ring known as the Huascas, and in particular with their leader, "El Chino." The movie is a riveting tale about the kids' fight for survival against both the dilapidated conditions of their crime-torn city and the dangerous Huascas, and while that's a fairly simple premise, it has a few twists along the way to keep it interesting.
But the plot isn't the best thing about this movie. By far, it's the characters. Child actors are notoriously hit or miss, but the ones in this film do a great job of bringing their little gang to life. You see that they're just regular kids who were dealt a really crappy hand and who are trying to make the best of it, so you genuinely care about them. You can't help but root for them to succeed, and you remain engaged in the story because you want to know how they make out in their struggle to survive. You feel their pain when tragedy strikes, and you're genuinely happy for them when they get a chance to have fun.
Adding to that emotional connection are the cinematography and the score, which combine to tell a story all on their own. They do a great job of conveying just how bad things are in this city, and you really feel for all the residents, not just the kids, because they have to deal with constant crime, the threat of premature death looming around every corner, and firefights that can erupt at any moment. The drab atmosphere is palpable throughout the film, and it serves as a perfect backdrop for the story.
And then we have the supernatural elements, which all focus on the main character, Estrella. She's haunted by visions of ghosts, which you eventually find out are El Chino's victims crying out for a chance to bring him to justice; she often sees small, magical creatures flying around; and at the beginning of the movie, she's given three magical pieces of chalk that each grant her one wish. She eventually uses all three, and her wishes come true in unexpected but creative ways. All of this mixes surprisingly well with the hard-hitting, bleak realism of the orphaned children and the devastation wreaked by the gangs and crime organizations in the city. They form a sort of cinematic "sweet and sour" flavor, blending these two contrasting elements in a way that is very reminiscent of Guillermo del Toro's artsier movies like Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone.
There is, however, one big difference between this movie and del Toro's films. Guillermo del Toro tends to avoid overt scares, but Tigers Are Not Afraid embraces them. Granted, it's not the kind of movie that's going to give many seasoned horror fans nightmares, but it has its moments. In fact, even though the scares aren't super terrifying, they're still done really well. They're not just poorly thought-out genre clichés or lazy, tacked-on jump scares. No, they flow naturally from the story itself, and they feed off your emotional connection to the characters. You feel the children's fear because you care about them so much.
All in all, I can't recommend this movie enough. In many ways, Tigers Are Not Afraid is what horror should be. Issa Lopez understands that a great horror movie has to be a great movie first and foremost, and it shows. This is so much more than just a horror movie. It's an enthralling story that mixes its scares with real, heartfelt emotion, and that's a combination that just can't be beaten. So if you haven't seen this one yet, definitely check it out. You won't be disappointed.
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