‘Tiger Stripes’ Review – Cramps Will Kill You

In Amanda Neil Eu’s coming-of-age horror drama, Tiger Stripes, apparently, periods turn women into literal monsters. The kind that’ll tear off your head if you’re not careful. Whether or not that’s figurative or literal is up to anyone’s interpretation. The film focuses on a group of 12-year-old friends at an all-girls school in Malaysia. Zaffan, Farah, and Mariam are girls tempted to break out of the rigidness of their society but also are aware of the consequences of doing such. The only one brave enough to take on the challenge is Zaffan (played by newcomer, Zafreen Zairizal) who is openly defiant of the norms and challenges her mother at every turn. When Zaffan is the first of the girls to get her period, this causes a rift between her and her friends as Zaffan’s puberty becomes a bullying point by her former friend, Farah (Deena Ezral). If that wasn’t bad enough, Zaffran is having a really hard time eating anything other than animal flesh.

The film takes both a maximalist and minimal approach to its storytelling as Zaffan’s changes are treated as both literal and metaphorical. Zaffan has her period, which comes with natural changes to the body, and that’s okay, but in a world that has no concept of female agency, independence, or even knowledge, these things are treated as something unnatural, or even demon-like. Taking that approach, Neil Eu’s film dives into all the exaggerated stories we’ve heard of women on their periods and combines it with the fables and folklore of her youth to tell a story that stares both conventions in the eye and challenges them head-on.

In this community, there are certain expectations that the young women are supposed to follow. They wear the Tudong every day for school. You see Zaffan openly defying this tradition in the opening shot of the film where she is doing a dance for TikTok and removing her garb. Farah and Mariam also notice that Zaffan is wearing a bra. The other story of this film is the anger and jealousy that comes up between these friends. Zaffan can be aggressively playful and it results in Farah responding very negatively. Once Zaffan is revealed to have her period, Farah’s attacks go from negative to mean-spirited, and even violent. It shows how repressive societies can have adverse effects on young people who, without proper education on basic matters, can lash out towards anyone different.

But to be fair, Zaffan’s metamorphosis is very different. She doesn’t just become angry or violent, she turns into a literal beast that claws away at her aggressors. She grows large hands and feet that resemble an actual tiger. By the end, her eyes glow a bright purple and she has claws, sharp teeth, and whiskers. It’s a hyper-realized version of puberty, but it intends to tear down the misinformation about puberty, and also to throw it in your face how uncomfortable and intense it is. Neil Eu succeeds in her mission. 

Zafreen is magnificent as Zaffan. She takes to the role incredibly well, matching the intensity and absurdity of this concept with maximum commitment. By the end, Zaffan, Farah, and Mariam (Piqa) are faced with the reality that no matter how scary this transition into this new phase of life may be, it inevitably happens to all of them, so it’s better to face it with people who understand rather than being shunned by those who don’t. Tiger Stripes is an immensely immersive film tackling the heavy subjects of womanhood, independence, and menstruation in a way that is both comical and horrifying. It may not be the most definitive film on female autonomy, but it may be the one that makes you realize that during this time in a woman’s cycle, you’re dealing with a real monster on your hands and it’s best to tread carefully.

Tiger Stripes is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Dark Star Pictures.