Written by Cayla Raymond
Tyler Perry’s Straw amplifies the continuous theme of struggles – shedding light on the topics of single parenthood, police brutality, racial bias, etc. We follow the storyline of Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson), a struggling single parent to her younger daughter, Aria. As audiences follow her storyline throughout the film, we encounter various occurrences that only hardens her circumstances due to the people around her misunderstanding her and her struggles.
“Black women always have something to get over,” are words Wiltkinson express to the bank manager during the midst of her mistaken robbery. Within the course of a day, Henson’s character deals with personal issues that continuously escalate, leading her to reach her “final straw”. She is fired from her job, evicted from her home, and has her car towed and impounded which all leads to her being involved in a murder and bank robbery.
Throughout the film, Henson does an amazing job playing the part of a single black mother who has reached her final straw. Despite being involved in a murder turned bank robbery, she is often seen breaking down and partaking in monologues that shed light on her current struggles – expressing that all she ever wanted was her paycheck so that her daughter can eat at school. She is both raw and emotional as she portrays a black mom in America who has to keep it together for her child, and it is a powerful watch.
The appearance of her character is also important to note in the series, as she is often showcased as unkept and stressed. We only ever see her character in her work uniform in the film, which adds onto the idea that she is always working, living paycheck to paycheck. Heson’s character also doesn’t wear any visible makeup, and her hair is tied up in a messy ponytail; playing into the idea that she is stressed and overworked.
With everything going on in Wiltkinson’s life, Detective Raymond (Teyana Taylor) and Bank Manager Nicole (Sherri Shepherd) are two black female leads who advocate for her in the film. Detective Raymond shares compassion for Wiltkinson, relating to her about being a single mother who was raised by a single mother who was also evicted. Nicole feels empathy for Wiltkinson, telling her stories about her kids and family relationship in order to calm her down.
The scenes involving police brutality are also important to note. Earlier on in the movie, Wiltkinson is involved in a road rage incident that occurs between her and a violent cop. Officer Oliver (Derek Phillips) is a white male officer who hit her car after she swerved in the road. Having a visible indent on the car, and verbal threats witnessed by another officer, he walked away with no repercussions. Having your car towed as a single mother who uses it as her main source of transportation is frustrating, but having it towed by a racist cop who used his privilege to his advantage is just infuriating.
This film was a good watch, simply because it does a good job showcasing how our system overlooks the struggles that black single mothers face. Through the many struggles faced within the film, adding the layer of systemic racism goes to show that this community can’t even rely on those we should be able to. Henson’s raw performance goes to show that despite remaining strong, desperation and yearning to be heard as a black woman can push us to our breaking point. This was a story about survival, and the many things that black women carry daily just to survive.
