Tiger Stripes

Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia) took part in LIM | Less is More in 2018 for the development of her feature film “Tiger Stripes”.

Synopsis

12-year-old Zaffan reaches puberty when her body begins to morph at an alarming and horrifying rate. In fear of being labelled as a monster, she struggles to maintain being normal at school by trying to conceal her grotesque self… that is until she decides she no longer wants to hide from the world.

Intentions

I remember being terrified when I went through puberty. As a women, there have always been elements of shame when it comes to our bodies and I think this begins with the physical transformations as we become adults.

We are not taught to embrace these changes. We are told that once we are “women”, we must protect our modesty and behave differently. These bodily changes are difficult for a child, the sudden appearance of patches of hair, bones protruding, skin stretching. I think most people would say it’s almost like a horror film. This story is a parable using horror of the body and femininity to convey the core theme of the film which is that every single one of us, as human beings, are all trying to hide our inner monster, our true selves. We are taught to fear this, to be ashamed of it and to reject it. Zaffan’s inner monster – her inner strength and beauty – is coming out and she has to learn to face and accept her true and wonderful self.