Tigers Are Not Afraid

"Who lives in your fantasies?"

2017 1h 23m ES

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 303

FantasyHorror

Synopsis

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When her mother suddenly disappears with no one to care for her, young Estrella ends up on the street and joins a gang of children, triggering a dangerous and tragic chain of events.

“Who lives in your fantasies?”

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Cast

Paola Lara
Estrella
Juan Ramón López
El Shine
Ianis Guerrero
Caco
Rodrigo Cortes
Pop
Hanssel Casillas
Tucsi
Nery Arredondo
Maxwell "Morrito" Vázquez
Tenoch Huerta Mejía
El Chino
Benny Emmanuel
Brayan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Issa López
Writers: Issa López
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Issa López, shot by Juan José Saravia. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Vince Pope. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joaquim Martí shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paola Lara and Juan Ramón López and Ianis Guerrero carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Who lives in your fantasies?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4823434 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Issa López directs. Juan José Saravia behind the camera. Vince Pope scores. Joaquim Martí cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Mexico. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Directed by Issa López, shot by Juan José Saravia. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Vince Pope. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Joaquim Martí shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paola Lara and Juan Ramón López and Ianis Guerrero carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Who lives in your fantasies?".
8IMDB entry: tt4823434 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "drug crime", "tiger", "gun", "fairy tale".

The technical file

Cinematography: Juan José Saravia
Original score: Vince Pope
Editing: Joaquim Martí
Costume design: Daniela Montserrat García Morales
Makeup / hair: Adam Zoller
VFX supervisor: Raúl Prado
Sound: Alejandro Quevedo
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: ES
IMDB: Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017)

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Issa López

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Sheldon Nylander2019-10-10
★ 9/10
“Tigers Are Not Afraid” is at once heartbreaking, horrifying, and brilliant. The movie follows Estrella, a young girl caught in the middle of the Mexican drug war who, after being taught about fairy tales in school, is given three wishes. But on her return home, she finds her mother missing and must strike out on her own, meeting up with a group of boys whose families have also gone missing or been killed. As she uses her wishes, she finds that they each come with a catch. Now in possession of a gangster’s phone and being tracked by the gang’s leader, the group must run for their lives, all while Estrella continues to see fantastical images and encounters with the dead. Comparing this film to “Pan’s Labyrinth” or even “The Monkey’s Paw” is not unfair, both in terms of how the story is told and the general theme, that of escaping into fantasy to distance oneself from the horrors of the world, and of being careful what you wish for. The imagery is not quite as fantastical as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and is actually more akin to that of a modern horror film than a fantasy epic. The acting is decently done, especially for a movie that focuses primarily on the children. You can feel an enormous uncertainty expressed by these kids, which matches the feeling of children being cast out into the world on their own with no idea where to go or what to do. At the same time, watching what these kids go through is not easy. This can be a difficult film with challenging themes and imagery. I know that there are some out there that may not be able to stomach some of the themes and events depicted, so be warned. But if you can, it’s a rewarding experience, which is a testament to the film and the talents of those involved. If the audience doesn’t FEEL a film like this, then it wouldn’t be worth your time. With the kind of emotion this film invokes, though, it’s definitely a must see, in my opinion.

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