Tiger Milk Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Tiger Milk Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 31, 2019

2003’s “Thirteen” was an American production that tried to convey the feral experience of being new to the teenage world of temptation and surging emotions. It made adolescence looks scary. “Tiger Milk” is a German production that basically explores the same obstacle course of juvenile mayhem, but it plays a lot lighter while delving into darker areas of experimentation. It’s an adaptation of author Stefanie Muhlhan’s novel, with writer/director Ute Wieland trying desperately to find focus and momentum with a sprawling saga of maturation, deportation, and murder.

Brightness for “Tiger Milk” is provided by lead actresses Flora Li Thiemann and Emily Kusche, who portray tight friends trying to experience the world before they can actually handle it. One of the girls is from Iraq, facing naturalization problems, while they both struggle with family issues and social performance, unleashed during summer break that includes plans to become women. “Tiger Milk” is fairly wild, with the kids gulping down the titular drink (made from milk, juice, and brandy) and toying with utter disaster, including a decision to become prostitutes for a night, aiming to acquire easy cash. The softness of the age is in the mix as well, with crushes launched and teachers tolerated, but Wieland has a lot of story to work through, and the tale is populated with a sizable community of characters. The picture shows some strain when making introductions, skipping some needed personality clarification to secure narrative position, and the effort, while lively at times, takes on too much, with a mid-movie murder a whiplash- inducing detour into darkness.

Tiger Milk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings out the brightness of "Tiger Milk," which utilizes a lot of sun-drenched locations and well-lit interiors. Detail enjoys such full illumination, capturing skin surfaces and fibrous costuming, with the main characters displaying all sorts of outfits. Distances are defined, capturing community movement. Colors are sharp and true, preserving naturalistic hues with greenery and apartment life, while visits to clubs offer hotter reds and blues, securing the nightlife mood. Delineation is satisfactory.

Tiger Milk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix finds fullness often, securing nuanced performances with distinct dialogue exchanges. Soundtrack selections carry weight with bass throb, and often push out into the surrounds, which also enjoy a few household separation effects and a decent read of atmospherics. Scoring is sharp with appealing instrumentation.

Tiger Milk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:44, HD) is included.

Tiger Milk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Tiger Milk" has passion, which counts for something, and Wieland clearly adores the lead characters, never quite grounding them in reality to keep their spirits high. There's a lot to experience in the picture, but it rarely feels emotionally significant enough, even when it deals with profound situations of loss and separation.