Maylaysian writer-director Amanda Nell Eu takes us to a village in Malaysia, where the mean girls are just as mean as they are in the U.S.

Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal), in many ways, is an average 11-year-old; her nose is perpetually in her phone, when she isn’t taking Tik Tok selfies with her besties, Farah (Deena Ezral) and Mariam (Piqa).  

Side note: this reviewer lives on the neigboring island of Belitung, Indonesia, where the Muslim schools and the schoolgirls look, dress, and act exactly the same as these girls. Even the classrooms look the same. Eu has done a great job of getting things down realistically.

Among the three friends, Zaff gets her period first. In conservative communities such as hers, it’s kind of an ordeal. You can’t go to Masjid or do other things when you are menstruating. She hides in the school bathroom when things start, freaked out by the situation.

For her friends, this is an opportunity to make fun of her in the cruel way that only kids of this age can do. At the same time, her body’s inconvenient changes have had a marked effect on her behavior. Like the mythologized tigers in her country, she becomes something of a savage. Her mind just as shifting as her body.

Suddenly an outcast, she succumbs to illusions and fanciful happenings that may not be real, but it almost seems to fuel her increasingly wild behavior.

Another aside: this reviewer can tell you firsthand that many Indonesians and Maylaysians believe in ghosts and other spooky folklore. And, of course, when you believe in something, you’re more likely to see it. Just a thought that may be relevant to the character.

Though listed as a horror film, this is not remotely like most films in that genre. Maybe they couldn’t figure out a better box for it. Hopefully the description helps you decide if it’s for you. I found it more of an interesting character study- dropping in on this girl, then leaving her and moving on. It was a worthwhile visit.

Tiger Stripes is now available to stream on demand.