Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) - 6+/10

A bleak creeping fairy tale, blackly shaded and psychologically viscous as molasses. A fatalistic peak into the world of those Mexican kids lost and after-effected by the drug cartels; homeless, near-heartless, and trying not to be hopeless. It is a sad story that plays with being fun and spooky.

The film is like a combination of Pan’s Labyrinth, Stand by Me and City of God, but I can’t give it credit for being as remarkable as any of them. It is a little choppy, reaches outside of its stylistic & technical grasp and the narrative leaves some holes pretty ambiguous. But, I like that it doesn’t pull its punches and tries to encompass so many different tones and moments, as any good children-centered yarn should.

The magic of a child’s eyes and wishes, as hauntingly simple and dirtily sad as they may be, lingers in the fabric of this movie. I appreciated the magical realism and youthful play with what is real and isn’t, especially with the whispered hints of a ghostly horror; literal and metaphorical.