You’ve heard of the saying “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” and that’s what Straw on Netflix gives us a look at. Taraji P. Henson offers up a heartbreaking performance, and this is certainly a must-watch movie. However, it’s not something to put on with the kids around.
Straw follows a woman, Janiyah, a single mom who is just trying to make ends meet. However, that’s harder than it should be, with everyone and everything seemingly against her. All she wants is her paycheck for the week so she can get $40 to her daughter’s school for lunch to stop her kid from being teased.
In the end, everything goes wrong, and she ends up accidentally holding up a bank. As the day unfolds, we get one heartbreak after another until the ultimate twist in the story.
Straw age rating: Explaining the TV-MA rating
As the movie is made for TV, it carries a TV-MA age rating rather than the traditional movie format R. However, the two age ratings are the same, and they mean that the movie isn’t made for those under the age of 18.
While the content itself doesn’t quite suit the TV-MA rating, it’s the storyline that does. This is one of those tales that is deep, traumatic, and leaves you with a lot of thoughts afterward. It’s heavy for a child, even for a teenager.
Sex & nudity: There isn’t any of this throughout Straw.
Violence & gore: There is some violence and gore throughout, starting with Jeniyah getting involved in a car accident with someone who turns out to be a racist cop. This is where the movie spirals into more and more violence, with shootings that show the visible shot marks and blood.
However, there isn’t a heavy amount of violence in the way that a lot of bank robbery movies and police hold-up movies show. There is a point where there’s a fantasy as Janiyah thinks about what could happen if she continues the way she is going, but the level of violence is tame for a movie aimed at adults.
Language: The F-bomb is dropped multiple times throughout the movie, mostly by characters who aren’t Henson’s character. She is actually very soft spoken, except for when she is trying to get through to people over the phone that what has happened hasn’t been her intention. She’s struggling to keep it all together in life, as society continues to fail her.
Alcohol & drugs: There is no show of either throughout Straw.
Overall verdict: Who is Straw appropriate for?
While the content itself doesn’t quite match the TV-MA rating, I still think that this is something for the adults in the house. Maybe some older teens will appreciate it, but this movie is very focused on the storytelling and the development. It doesn’t hold a lot of action, despite the fact that there is a 12-hour holdup at the bank!
Straw is a must-watch, though. We always know that people can have bad days, and eventually, there is something that just makes us break. That’s what Tyler Perry has managed to capture, with Henson delivering a beautifully heartbreaking performance.
Straw is now available on Netflix.