• Drama
• Thriller

STRAW 2025

Released on June 6, 2025, the Netflix original film "STRAW" is a psychological crime drama written, directed, and produced by Tyler Perry, marking one of his most ambitious and emotionally heavy projects to date. The film stars Taraji P. Henson in a powerhouse lead performance as Janiyah Wiltkinson, a financially struggling single mother in Atlanta whose life unravels over the course of one catastrophic day. The supporting cast features Sherri Shepherd as Nicole, an empathetic bank manager, Teyana Taylor as Detective Kay Raymond, and the return of comedian Sinbad as Benny, Janiyah's kind-hearted neighbor. Other notable cast members include Rockmond Dunbar as Chief Wilson, Glynn Turman as Janiyah’s unsympathetic boss Richard, and Gabby Jackson as her daughter, Aria. The plot follows Janiyah as she navigates a series of systemic and personal failures that push her to a breaking point. The day begins with her caring for her chronically ill daughter, Aria, while facing the threat of eviction. A sequence of devastating events follows: Janiyah is harassed by a racist off-duty police officer who gets her car impounded, she is fired from her job at a grocery store after being late, and her boss refuses to issue her final paycheck. Desperate for the money to save her home and care for her daughter, Janiyah returns to the store only to be caught in an armed robbery. In a moment of sheer survival instinct, she kills one of the robbers and her boss, Richard, before fleeing with her check. She eventually enters a bank to cash it, but the lack of identification and her visible distress trigger a silent alarm, leading to a high-stakes televised hostage standoff. The film's climax is defined by a massive psychological twist that redefines the entire narrative. As Janiyah negotiates with Detective Raymond and bonds with the bank manager Nicole, it is revealed that Aria had actually died from a seizure the night before the film’s events began. Janiyah, unable to process the trauma, had spent the entire day suffering from grief-induced psychosis, hallucinating her daughter’s presence and believing she was still trying to save her. The phone calls from the school and the interactions with Child Protective Services were all part of her mental break. The film concludes with a tense "fake-out" where the FBI appears to raid the bank and kill Janiyah, but this is revealed to be her internal fear. In reality, she peacefully surrenders to Detective Raymond after Nicole helps her finally acknowledge her daughter’s passing."STRAW" has a massive success for Netflix, breaking records as the platform's biggest film debut of 2025. Within its first two weeks, the movie garnered over 74 million global views, reaching the #1 spot in over 90 countries. Despite mixed critical reviews—with many praising Henson’s acting while criticizing the film’s heavy focus on Black trauma—it became a cultural phenomenon, fueled by viral social media discussions surrounding its heartbreaking ending. Read More

• 2025
• 1 h : 45 min
• 201 views
• 6.386
• U/A 16+