Tyler Perry’s new film is called Straw for a simple reason. “Straw is about a woman who reaches her tipping point,” star Taraji P. Henson tells Tudum. In other words, Janiyah (Henson) is on her last straw.
“Everything that can go wrong, goes wrong in this one day,” Henson continues.
“It’s about how humans operate in that heightened state of panic and anxiety and pressure. When the pot is boiling and it finally explodes, what happens? What does that look like, and how does it affect the people around you?”
In Janiyah’s case, the explosion leads her down a desperate, chaotic path that even she doesn’t seem in full control of — starting with the killing of her boss, and ending with a standoff with the police as she (almost accidentally) holds a bank hostage.
“She’s just trying to survive, trying to be a great mother to her daughter, and then the circumstances in life put her in this situation,” writer, director, and producer Perry says.
But as the situation escalates, it becomes clear that there’s an even darker story at the center of Janiyah’s pain. Read on to dive into the twists and turns of Straw — if you’re ready for the truth.
Why is Janiyah’s daughter taken away from her?
Janiyah’s day is a whirlwind of indignities. She’s on the verge of being kicked out of her apartment over unpaid rent; she’s on the outs with her boss Richard (Glynn Turman) at work; and she struggles to withdraw money from her bank account to pay for her daughter Aria’s (Gabby Jackson) lunch.
Everything culminates with a phone call from Aria’s principal — child protective services is threatening to take Aria away after bruises were discovered on her back.
Janiyah knows those bruises are from a slip in their bathtub, but she’s still too late to stop the authorities from removing Aria from her care.
It’s a crushing blow for the single mother. “For Janiyah, the thing that is keeping her alive is her daughter, because that’s her sense of belonging,” Henson says.
“That’s the one thing that makes her feel like a person, because she brought life into this world and she takes it very seriously. She doesn’t have much, but all she has, she gives to her daughter.”
