Released on June 6, 2025, and now streaming on Netflix, Straw is a relentless, emotionally charged thriller written and directed by Tyler Perry, led by a commanding performance from Taraji P. Henson. The film also stars Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, and Gabrielle E. Jackson, and is produced by Tyler Perry Studios. A harrowing portrait of one woman’s descent into crisis, Straw centers on Janiyah, a single Black mother pushed past the brink by a cruel combination of poverty, bureaucracy, and systemic indifference. What begins as a day of small frustrations escalates into an all-consuming catastrophe, culminating in a tense hostage standoff that captures the attention of an entire city. In this Straw movie review, we explore a film that tackles class, race, motherhood, and mental health through the lens of an unforgettable worst-day-ever.
Genre:Drama, Thriller
One Day in Hell – A Slow Burn to Breakdown
From its first moments, Straw sets the stage for a day that begins with hardship and ends in near tragedy. Janiyah (Henson), exhausted and quietly determined, wakes to a broken-down apartment, overdue rent, and a sick daughter with mounting medical needs. As the day unfolds, a series of crushing setbacks—a heartless landlord, a degrading job, a wrongful accusation, and callous public systems—pile on with almost unbearable weight.
A Relatable Pressure Cooker
While the film pushes the boundaries of plausibility at times, its emotional truth is scalding. For anyone familiar with the daily grind of underpaid labor, systemic failure, and the fear of losing everything, Straw will feel like a gut punch. It doesn’t offer subtlety—it offers honesty. The phrase “people don’t know how expensive it is to be poor” becomes the film’s thesis, underlined again and again through Janiyah’s mounting desperation.
Taraji P. Henson’s Tour-de-Force Performance
At the center of Straw is Taraji P. Henson, delivering one of the rawest performances of her career. Her portrayal of Janiyah captures the full spectrum of human emotion—from gentle maternal affection to explosive panic and grief. In lesser hands, some of the melodramatic beats might have faltered. But Henson grounds even the most operatic moments, giving Janiyah dignity, rage, humor, and vulnerability in equal measure.
Whether she’s begging for her paycheck, confronting indifferent authority figures, or navigating the chaos of a hostage situation, Henson holds the screen with fierce intensity. Her climactic monologue—equal parts despair and defiance—is the film’s emotional anchor, crystallizing a woman who feels entirely unseen until the whole world is watching.
Supporting Performances Add Depth
Sherri Shepherd and Teyana Taylor Shine
As Nicole, the bank manager caught in the middle of the unfolding crisis, Sherri Shepherd delivers a quietly powerful performance. Her empathy for Janiyah is immediate and authentic, providing a human counterbalance to the noise of law enforcement and media frenzy. She chooses to stay—not out of fear, but solidarity.
Teyana Taylor, meanwhile, plays Detective Raymond, a former military negotiator and the only member of law enforcement who genuinely wants to help. Taylor brings calm and conviction to her role, creating a grounded figure who sees Janiyah not as a criminal, but as someone crying for help.
Even minor roles feel lived in, with bit parts—like a skeptical bank teller, a condescending school principal, and a fiery FBI agent—serving as microcosms of the systems that fail women like Janiyah every day.
A Tyler Perry Thriller with Teeth
Straw may bear many hallmarks of Tyler Perry’s signature style—melodrama, on-the-nose dialogue, and overt moralizing—but this time, it works. The film is tight, tense, and focused. Perry balances the escalating chaos with genuine character moments, making us care deeply about Janiyah’s fate. The tension is earned, not manipulated.
The hostage standoff, which consumes much of the film’s second half, is fraught with urgency and heart. While the threat of violence hangs overhead, Perry wisely chooses not to sensationalize it. Instead, the emotional stakes take center stage, with dialogue, flashbacks, and small gestures slowly peeling back Janiyah’s trauma.
Commentary on Race, Poverty, and Perception
When Society Fails, People Break
What elevates Straw beyond its thriller bones is its blistering social commentary. Perry doesn’t just point fingers—he builds a comprehensive indictment of a system that punishes the poor for being poor, criminalizes Black motherhood, and treats human compassion as a luxury.
In Janiyah’s world, there are no safety nets—only traps. Every institution, from education to healthcare to law enforcement, fails her at once. Even her hallucinations, revealed in a quietly devastating twist, underline the toll of untreated trauma and grief.
The film also addresses media spectacle and internet virality, as Janiyah becomes a folk hero for the unseen and unheard. Signs like “Nevertheless, She Persisted” wave outside the bank, capturing both the hope and irony of a society that only listens when someone snaps.
Technical Craft and Visual Storytelling
Visually, Straw feels gritty and lived-in. Cinematographer Justyn Moro captures the sweaty heat of small apartments, the clinical coldness of government buildings, and the sterile panic of a bank under siege. The rainy street where Janiyah screams to the heavens may veer into melodrama, but it’s memorable.
The pacing moves fast—perhaps too fast. There are moments when day becomes night within seconds, and emotional beats blur together under the weight of too many twists. Yet the editing by Nick Coker holds the film together, especially during the standoff’s shifting perspectives and rising stakes.
A Final Act That Divides
Without spoiling the third act, Straw introduces a major narrative twist that recontextualizes much of what came before. For some viewers, it will feel like a poignant gut punch; for others, a jarring left turn that risks undermining the emotional buildup. What’s undeniable is the ambition Perry swings for in the finale, even if the landing is shaky.
Ultimately, Straw doesn’t aim to tie things up with a bow. It wants you to leave uncomfortable, maybe even a little angry. That’s the point. Janiyah’s story isn’t just hers—it belongs to every person one rent payment away from collapse, every mother fighting to stay afloat, every Black woman forced to be strong because the world won’t allow her to be vulnerable.
Final Verdict – A Flawed, Fierce Film That Demands Attention
Straw is messy. It’s loud. It’s sometimes over-the-top. But it is also urgent, truthful, and powered by a sensational lead performance. Taraji P. Henson carries the film like a woman holding up a collapsing roof, refusing to let it fall. Tyler Perry’s script may be uneven, but his passion and purpose are undeniable.
For all its melodrama, Straw hits hard because it reflects a painful reality: that desperation doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s built—one injustice, one denial, one missed paycheck at a time.
This is not a movie for comfort. It’s a movie that forces you to look, to feel, and maybe, just maybe, to understand.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)