?Tyler Perrys latest film Straw , which premiered on 6 June on Netflix, has many viewers divided. Some who have followed Perrys work find the black womans struggle angle a bit tired, while some find the film compelling, albeit painful to watch.
As with the latter view, I had my heartstrings tugged and twisted on a random Monday morning. It is definitely not a great way to start a week but, fortunately, Mondays are my days off when I am free to be human and feel. Love or hate Perry, the illustrious writer-director knows how to tell a persuasive story about those on the margins of society.
A roller-coaster ride of sweat, tears and screams, Straw follows hard-working single mother Janiyah Wiltkinson, played by Taraji P. Henson, on a devastatingly bad day that leads her into a shocking act of desperation. As a film about a persons breaking point leading to a hostage situation, Straw borrows heavily from Denzel Washingtons John Q and John Boyegas Breaking .
On the local front, I was also reminded of Kagiso Modupes Losing Lerato 2 , the sequel to the 2019 drama film Losing Lerato.
One of the similarities between these films is that they are about how despair can lead a person, particularly someone from a disadvantaged community, to hold people hostage in a bid to get their pressing needs met.