Straw is an emotional crime drama that tells the story of a single mother, Janiyah, who goes through a series of devastating events—from losing her job to being evicted, ultimately losing something deeply precious to her. But just when it seems things couldn’t get worse, a heartbreaking misunderstanding pushes her beyond her limits. Directed and produced by Tyler Perry, Straw features powerful performances from Taraji P. Henson, Teyana Taylor, Rockmond Dunbar, Glynn Turman, and Ashley Versher.

The Love of a Mother

Straw is an emotional film that dives right into the struggles single mothers face in their daily lives without child support. It captures what it feels and looks like to be poor, to work like an elephant but eat like an ant while facing a spiral of bad to worse. It’s one hit after another for Janiyah — just when she thinks it’s over, something else comes up. A roller coaster of adversity is an understatement of what Janiyah went through in this film. She moves from hardship to devastation to unimaginable lows. 

Taraji P. Henson over-delivered in this film. It’s safe to say that she’s a major reason why Straw feels so real and emotional. Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson) is a single mother who works two jobs to provide for her daughter Aria (played by Gabrielle E. Jackson), who relies on daily medications due to health issues. Even so, Janiyah still struggles to keep up with the bills, but her daughter never goes to bed hungry. Janiyah’s role in Straw perfectly reflects the sacrifices mothers make for their children, and also, how fear can cloud judgment in ways that lead to painful misunderstandings.

Somehow, the government was informed that Aria is not eating healthily, which isn’t entirely true, and what happens next would break the heart of every mother. The energy and passion Taraji brings to this role are extraordinarily genuine. The movie does well to highlight how bosses at work can be brutal sometimes. In Straw, Richard (Glynn Turman) is Janiyah’s boss, and he does an outstanding job portraying how unkind supervisors can be when given power.  

What Makes ‘Straw’ Exceptional 

Tyler Perry has the recipe for making emotionally powerful films. Perry directed and produced this crime drama, Straw, and made Taraji P. Henson the protagonist, just like he did in Acrimony (2018), another powerful emotional film. He is best known as the creator and performer behind the Madea franchise, a series of hit stage plays and films centered around the outspoken character Madea. Perry did an incredible job in getting the perfect cast for Straw, carefully choosing actors and actresses who could carry the film’s emotional weight and bring the story’s intensity to life.

The film starred some legendary actors like Rockmond Dunbar from Prison Break (2005), who told Michael Scofield, “Darwin wins inside these walls. Not Einstein. Darwin.” This relates to Janiyah in a way because at first she tried to do things the right way through communication, patience, and logic, just like C Note (Rockmond Dunbar) did with Michael Scofield, but those things failed. If Tessa had just cashed the check without requesting Janiyah’s ID card, Janiyah would’ve never brought out the gun in the first place. Teyana Taylor was outstanding in her role as a detective in Straw. Kay Raymond (Teyana Taylor) was the only cop who understood what Janiyah had been through and could relate to her situation. Another great actor in the film is Glynn Turman, who has featured in over a dozen movies and TV Shows. Turman (Richard in Straw) played his role so well that some viewers may wish they could strangle him because of his unkindness to Janiyah. But Janiyah gave Richard what he deserved. Sherri Shepherd’s performance in Straw cannot be overlooked. She was able to get through to Janiyah and stood right by her like a friend until the very end. When Janiyah let everyone out of the bank, Nicole (Sherri Shepherd) was also free to go, but she stayed with Janiyah and even held her hand as they both submissively walked out of the bank.