★★★★☆
2 April 2017
A movie review of TIGER GIRL. |
“Politeness is a form of violence against yourself,” Tiger (Ella Rumpf)
A dark action-comedy from Germany, where two badass women wreak havoc, TIGER GIRL has audience-flinching brawls. The punches and kicks have a RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK crunch. Why don’t more fisticuffs movies offer the same wince-inducing sound design? The camerawork suggests cinéma-vérité, but the combat is wonderfully stylised - if there is a sequel, please bring on even more.
Life humiliations and the inconsiderate, we can all empathise. Vanilla (Maria-Victoria Dragus – GRADUATION) face plants over a vaulting horse - because of not passing the physical test, she cannot progress with police academy training and has to wait six months to retake. She can never really articulate why she wants to be a cop. One surmises Vanilla wants to emit authority and to be respected. Her demeanour is mousy and compliant, and hopes a badge will be a shield and a sword. The desire to be good and the need to be bad is explored.
A dark action-comedy from Germany, where two badass women wreak havoc, TIGER GIRL has audience-flinching brawls. The punches and kicks have a RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK crunch. Why don’t more fisticuffs movies offer the same wince-inducing sound design? The camerawork suggests cinéma-vérité, but the combat is wonderfully stylised - if there is a sequel, please bring on even more.
Life humiliations and the inconsiderate, we can all empathise. Vanilla (Maria-Victoria Dragus – GRADUATION) face plants over a vaulting horse - because of not passing the physical test, she cannot progress with police academy training and has to wait six months to retake. She can never really articulate why she wants to be a cop. One surmises Vanilla wants to emit authority and to be respected. Her demeanour is mousy and compliant, and hopes a badge will be a shield and a sword. The desire to be good and the need to be bad is explored.
Along comes Tiger (Ella Rumpf – RAW), Vanilla’s bolshy guardian angel, nurturing her rebellious side. Tiger is not above revenge on poor manners. Tiger is an enigma. She is violent, yet has a moral code. She is a free spirit, yet ensures she has the correct legal paper work to thwart antagonistic authority figures. How refreshing! TIGER GIRL is about Vanilla’s transformation. Like Mary Shelley’ FRANKENSTEIN, Tiger the creator cannot control the monster.
Abuse of power and pettiness comes in the form of Vanilla’s peer, Theo (Enno Trebs), who is now a rookie cop. She is attracted to him, even though he is clearly a douche. Tiger stops her from an inevitable one-night stand. He looks down on security guards. Like all arrogance it is a reflection of lack of self-esteem.
Being a go-getter, Vanilla decides to train as a security guard while waiting to attempt again to be police. She is the only female. Does the teacher pick her on, or is it her eventual apathy that focuses his ire? When she stands up for herself on a field exercise, there is the implication that the teacher does not like a woman talking back to him.
Male nudity in Jakob Lass films redresses the inequality in so much of the output from cinema and television. Lass throws out movie gender stereotypes. Wait till you meet the local crime boss.
One might have wondered whether we are in FIGHT CLUB territory, where Vanilla is in fact Tiger; thankfully that tired plot device is not utilised – though Tiger is perhaps the confidence in all of us. TIGER GIRL rails against the meek inheriting the earth. Rails against people pleasing. Rails against being a doormat. Society is filled with bullies and the unhappy, who cowardly take their frustrations out on the more vulnerable. TIGER GIRL is not exactly self-help, but it is a shoulder-shake to the gentle, both women and men, but especially women.
RUN LOLA RUN -> VICTORIA -> TIGER GIRL. High-octane German cinema is rare, and worth the wait.
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