A Cascade of Crises
Janiyah Watkinson (Taraji P. Henson) is having an unthinkably bad day. It begins with the crushing burden of school lunch debt, as her daughter Aria (Gabrielle Jackson) faces public humiliation for a mere $40. Simultaneously, Janiyah's landlord threatens immediate eviction if rent isn't paid. The pressure ratchets up at her grocery store job, where a minor dispute over a WIC card escalates, and her curmudgeonly boss, Richard (Glynn Turman), refuses a much-needed paycheck advance.
The situation takes a violent turn when Janiyah confronts Richard about the money. Masked gunmen storm the store, and in the ensuing chaos, a desperate struggle for Janiyah's backpack – containing her daughter's vital seizure medication – leads to a tragic outcome. Panicked, Janiyah fights back, seizes a gun, and, in a blur of survival and desperation, shoots one of the assailants, and then, inexplicably, kills her boss. In a daze, she grabs her blood-splattered paycheck and heads to the bank across the street, unknowingly initiating a Georgia state-wide police investigation that quickly transforms her bank visit into a tense hostage situation.
Echoes of Desperation: "Straw" and "Breaking"
After a brief foray into historical dramas with "A Jazzman's Blues" and "The Six Triple Eight," Perry revisits the intense melodramas that solidified his filmmaking identity. Fans will recognize the familiar blend of character archetypes and a predictable narrative arc driving "Straw" to its charged climax. The film draws notable parallels to Abi Damaris Corbin’s 2022 thriller, "Breaking." That film featured John Boyega as a Marine veteran driven to rob a bank for $892, the amount owed to him by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Both Janiyah and Boyega's character are victims of systems that have failed them, forced into extreme acts by circumstances beyond their control. Michael K. Williams, in one of his final roles in "Breaking," played a hostage negotiator who forged a connection with Boyega's character through shared experiences.
In "Straw," Teyana Taylor steps into the role of Detective Raymond, a Black police officer who intuitively understands Janiyah's plight. Unlike her colleagues, who suspect Janiyah of orchestrating the robbery, Detective Raymond recognizes a woman pushed past her breaking point by relentless adversity. Their conversations highlight the cruel indifference with which society often treats poor and working-class Black women. "Straw" can be seen as a gender-swapped counterpart to "Breaking," shifting the focus from the systemic failures impacting Black men in the military to society's judgment and mistreatment of Black single mothers striving to survive.
A Flawed but Affecting Narrative
While "Straw" isn't Perry's worst film, it does exhibit some of the recurring issues found in his work. The narrative is occasionally burdened by heavy-handed metaphors, overly intricate plotting, and strained dramatic moments. However, the film's most compelling aspects stem from Taraji P. Henson's nuanced performance, which injects genuine pathos into even the most melodramatic scenes.
From the moment we meet Janiyah, waking to the thumping music of her upstairs neighbor, we immediately empathize with her. Despite the immense pressure of making rent and caring for her daughter who suffers from seizures, Janiyah consistently demonstrates kindness, even acknowledging Benny (Sinbad), an unhoused man outside her apartment. She meets everyone, even those who are cold to her, with a remarkable warmth.
Yet, Janiyah is visibly exhausted, constantly juggling school calls, work, and bill collectors. She simply can't catch a break. Thus, when she enters the bank, clutching a stolen gun and demanding to cash her $500 paycheck, her desperation carries a profound sadness. Nicole (Sherri Shepherd), the compassionate branch manager, recognizes this, and despite her fear, treats Janiyah with empathy. Henson masterfully navigates a character that, in a less capable actor's hands and Perry's straightforward screenplay, could have been one-dimensional. When Janiyah reassures the terrified bank patrons that it's all a misunderstanding, we see not a malevolent figure, but a woman teetering on the edge of a complete breakdown.
"Straw" moves briskly from one plot point to the next, offering moments of humor, some eye-roll-inducing set pieces, and instances of genuine human connection. Ultimately, it is the poignant relationship between Henson, Taylor, and Shepherd's characters – three Black women striving to see and understand each other in a world that often renders them invisible – that makes Perry's latest offering a more enduring watch.
Distributor: Netflix
Production company: Tyler Perry Productions
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Glynn Turman, Sinbad, Rockmond Dunbar
Director-screenwriter: Tyler Perry
Producers: Angi Bones, Tyler Perry, Tony Strickland
Director of photography: Justyn Moro
Production designer: Ryan Berg
Costume designer: Raiyonda Vereen
Editor: Nick Coker
Composer: Dara Taylor
Casting director: Kim Coleman
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes