Sometimes it takes just one day to break everything. In this raw and riveting drama, Tyler Perry delivers one of his most emotionally intense films yet. STRAW follows Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson), a resilient single mother whose carefully balanced life begins to unravel during the course of a single devastating day.
Janiyah loses her job without cause, is wrongly accused of a serious offense, and struggles to access urgent medical care for her ailing daughterโall in the span of hours. With every door slammed in her face, the pressure builds, and the strength that once carried her begins to bend under the weight of injustice, fear, and exhaustion.
The film is more than a personal crisisโitโs a societal indictment. As Janiyah navigates a world that sees her as invisible, she finds herself surrounded by a community equally crushed by neglect and systemic failure. Her story becomes a mirror of countless untold struggles, asking: How much can one person take before they reach their breaking point?
With powerful supporting performances from Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, and Sinbad, STRAW blends personal heartbreak with larger truths. Perry takes a bold step into deeper, more urgent storytelling, using quiet moments and explosive confrontations to highlight the emotional and institutional burdens faced by working-class Black women.
STRAW is not just a filmโitโs a cry for recognition, dignity, and justice.
๐ Premieres June 6, 2025, only on Netflix
๐ญ Genre: Drama | Social Issues | Survival
๐ Because when survival is the only option, breaking isnโt weaknessโitโs human.