Tigers Are Not Afraid has been picking up awards at film festivals and securing release dates around the world for more than a year now, and in August it will finally, finally make its debut in the United States. This dark modern fairy tale from writer and director Issa López uses magical realism and fantasy to tell the story of orphaned children trying to survive the gang violence tearing through their Mexican town.
Tigers has been heartily praised by Guillermo del Toro, and the film has been compared to his early career works like Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone, films that blended horror and folklore and were grounded in the local drama of Mexican families. (You know, as opposed to the dimension-straddling action of Hellboy or the pseudo-reality of The Shape of Water.) Distributed by the streaming service Shudder, Tigers will also have a theatrical run beginning August 23.