Award-winning Malaysian body horror film ‘Tiger Stripes’ to stream on Netflix

“Tiger Stripes,” a Malaysian coming-of-age body horror film, will be available to stream on Netflix globally beginning on Feb. 15.

About the film: The film follows Zaffan, a rebellious 12-year-old girl who experiences disturbing changes to her body. As she attempts to conceal these changes, she faces social ostracization by her school friends. To attain freedom, she must embrace her transformed body, revealing her true nature. The movie features newcomers Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral and Piqa, along with established Malaysian actors Shaheizy Sam and Fatimah Abu Bakar.

Success of “Tiger Stripes”: Produced by Ghost Grrrl Pictures and directed by Amanda Nell Eu, “Tiger Stripes” reportedly marks the Southeast Asian nation’s return to the Cannes Film Festival after many years, making it the first film by a Malaysian female director to be screened at Cannes. The film received acclaim, winning the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at Cannes and becoming Malaysia’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Censorship issues: Netflix will be releasing the full, uncut version of the body horror film. The decision reportedly comes after the disappointing local theatrical release in October, where scenes were censored by the Film Censorship Board. Eu previously expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the censored version in local cinemas does not represent the original film that won the Cannes award. She believes that Malaysian audiences have the maturity to make their own critical choices.

“What has been censored from the film is the very joy of being a young girl in Malaysia,” Eu said on Facebook. “A young girl who is maybe different from the rest, misunderstood, or has the urge to express herself differently from others — a young girl who is innocent and curious about the world around her and fights for her existence in this world.”

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