TIFF Bel Lightbox Film Review - Tigers Are Not Afraid

10-year Old Estrella is a bright smart girl in school. Her class is in the middle of a lesson when gunfire rigs out just outside the school grounds forcing the entire class to duck for cover. School is canceled indefinitely. On television, a local politician running for office vows to clean up the community for the residents.  As Estrella leaves the grounds she is faced with police tape surrounding a dead cartel victim at the entrance to the school. Orphaned Shine (Juan Ramon Lopez) is living on the streets lurking in the shadows looking for food when not robbing cell phones from inattentive people passing by.

He stumbles upon cartel member Caco (Ianis Guerrerro) relieving himself beside a building not paying attention to his phone or gun which Shine lifts. He heads back to his band of orphaned boys showing his haul from the evening. Estrella returns home from school to find his mother missing. When she does not turn up the next day her worst fears begin to surface. Her mother has been taken away by the cartel.

Fantasy mixes with harsh reality in director Issa Lopez film. Estrella has been granted three wishes as she is surrounded by butterflies, birds, and snakes in this film space. Lopez brings the viewer into the bleak reality of a Mexican slum. The cartels have killed so many people that little kids are forced to join together for safety and survival. The supernatural blends with fantasy and reality. Here as in Guillermo del Toro's Devils Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth Humans in authority are the real monsters that prey and the innocent and weak. It's fitting that del Toro is such a champion of the film imploring anyone his vast social network can reach to see the film. The art department are influential in creating this world including the swatting locations the kids occupy during the film. Cinematographer Juan Jose Saravia work with shadows, reflections, light and dark help to portray both the fantasy and desperation of the kids' situation. The spray painted murals tell the story of the relationships in the community with the kids and the cartel members some describing tragedy easily invoking tears.

Paola Lara fills the screen as Estrella. She is scared and frightened at first returning home to find her mother missing with no food available or coming. But she finds her strength and resolve becoming key planner for the orphaned group to the anger of Shine. Juan Ramon Lopez occupies that second in command role. He is moody upset that he lost control of the group but willing to step up at the most critical time.

Tigers are Not Afraid is a deep look at violence and fear experienced in cartel run Mexican communities. It's even better on the second viewing and needs to be seen to inspire future storytellers with original ideas to find a way to get their work out there. The nimble young cast of first timers bring authentic voices to their roles. As del Toro stated in the Q & A to kick off the films 2 week run at Toronto's Bell Lightbox Tigers Are Not Afraid falls into the wake people up category rather than the put people to sleep one.  The story is chilling but likely reflecting actual events. It's a desperate situation that needs to be exposed as done so here by Issa Lopez and her team.

**** Out of 4.

Tigers Are Not Afraid | Issa Lopez | Mexico | 2017 | 83 Minutes.

Tags: Tigers, Snakes, Birds, Squatting, Graffiti, Hunger, Orphaned, Disappeared, Cartel, iPhone, Campaign, Video.