So everyone has been talking about this movie titled "Straw" and I feel left out of the party because I'm supposed to be talking about it as well. I saw this movie flying all over the different social media platforms and the positive feedback that I've seeing made me eager in watching this movie for myself because "why not" I want to have a contribution to make at the party "though not physical party" just the party of those talking about the movie.
I'm not gonna lie, Tyler Perry movies are mostly hyped all over the town whenever he releases new movies. I've seen a few of his movies and will conclude by saying "he is a genius".
The Plot
The movie tells the story of a single mother named "Janiyah" who lives in a run-down apartment with her frequently ill daughter. One morning, Janiyah was bathing her daughter when the daughter complained about not being able to bathe herself and told Janiyah that her teacher said she couldn't afford lunch at school.
Janiyah assured her daughter that she was going to bring the money for lunch, so he daughter could have lunch with the other students. Janiyah drops her daughter off at school and heads to the grocery shop where she works.
While attending to customers, Janiyah got a call from her daughter's school that her daughter had a seizure in the bathtub and had bruises on her body. Janiyah's boss demands that she be back at the shop in the next thirty minutes or else her paycheck won't be released to her. She rushed to the bank to get the money for lunch, but unfortunately, the line was long, so she couldn't wait for her turn and left.
She got to her daughter's school and was being confronted by the principal and child protective services who later took her daughter into custody despite her pleading.
There are simply a lot of things unfolding and I don't wanna be a spoiler, so I'm gonna end here and allow you to enjoy the movie for yourself.
My Review
Firstly, the moment I saw "Taraji. P. Henson and Teyana Taylor" in a movie together, now that is one combo I've always been anticipating to see, and here it is, it felt like the long-awaited anticipation has been washed away.
And also, single parents are the real superheroes. This movie brought back certain memories that I've been meaning to forget because I was raised by a single parent. I know the struggles involved, especially when things aren't going well in the house. Often I see the secret tears that are being shed, but then when my parents come out into the open, you'd feel nothing had happened and everything is well and fine.
This movie resonates with me because I've been in that space not as a parent but as the child. Who sees her mother running around to ensure that everyone is being taken care of?
The movie looks real and authentic, very relatable. I could see the struggles through her eyes, everything she was going through, but then the people around her weren't understanding; they weren't making her feel seen, like she was invincible to them.
I haven't cried while watching a movie, I can remember the number of times, but then this movie made tears roll down my cheeks like they had been driven by something. I enjoyed watching this movie, but the time spent was in vain, and I don't feel a sense of regret.
What makes straw compelling is its simplicity, I'm gonna rate this movie a 9/10, and the one percent is for making me cry like a baby when I'm a grown woman. Images are screenshots from my phone
Thanks for reading 🧡