Why everyone is talking about Tyler Perry's latest Netflix hit Straw

Sometimes you have those days when it feels like everything is going wrong. You oversleep, get stuck in traffic, and even spill coffee on your new pants. With a frustration level higher than the Eiffel Tower, it can help to remind yourself that this day will pass, and that it can always get worse. Our problems seem minuscule compared to those of Janiyah in the Netflix thriller ‘Straw’. This latest creation by actor and director Tyler has firmly secured the top position, and that's not without reason.

What is ‘Straw’ actually about?

Single mother Janiyah (Taraji P. Henson) has it anything but easy. She lives in a run-down apartment that she can barely afford with her job at the supermarket. While she can hardly make ends meet, she tries to do everything she can to take care of her sick daughter Aria as best as possible. All these struggles reach a peak on one day. Janiyah is threatened with eviction from her apartment and begs her boss to pay her salary in advance. The two end up in a arguing which is interrupted by a phone call from Aria's school. Bruises have been found on her back and child protective services threaten to take the girl away. Janiyah rushes to the school, but arrives just too late. On her way back to work, she gets into an argument with an off-duty police officer. He calls in his colleagues and they seize her car. Totally defeated, Janiyah returns home, where the situation worsens: her landlord has now really evicted her for good. In a last-ditch effort, the mother returns to her boss one more time to beg for her salary. A choice that comes at a high cost. She gets caught up in a robbery and in her desperation, Janiyah loses control of her actions.

The deeper meaning of Straw

Although the film is not based on a true story, director Tyler Perry drew his inspiration from real life. He observed various single mothers and their struggles with prejudice, injustice, and a lack of support from the government. He bundled all these stories into the character of Janiyah, hoping that viewers can relate to her problems. ‘Straw’ is therefore more than just a thriller that spirals out of control. Behind Janiyah's increasingly overwhelming struggles lies an important message. Perry, who also wrote the film's story, hopes that viewers will realize that everyone goes through things and has their own story, and that you never really know what is going on in someone's life. By doing something nice for someone or simply giving a compliment, you can be that little ray of light on a difficult day; and maybe you can even prevent someone from completely breaking down.

Why Perry keeps choosing the same actors

You know what they say: never change a winning team. That must have been the motto of director Perry. For almost all the important characters in ‘Straw’, he cast actors he had previously worked with. There were no exciting audition rounds, but in most cases, it was all arranged with just a text or a phone call. This was also the case for the role of Janiyah. As soon as Perry started on the script, he envisioned lead actress Taraji P. Henson. He already knew her from his earlier projects ‘The Family That Preys’ and ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’; two somewhat older films, but the impression the actress left still resonated. His choices for the other characters were also based on the collaborations he had had as an actor or director. This way, he already knew what his cast could show the audience.

From past to present: Tyler Perry's film projects

Tyler Perry is certainly no stranger in the film world. As both an actor and director, he has quite a few titles to his name. Let's list his most famous ones:

1. Madea franchise
Perry's desire to combine his talents is evident in the Madea film series. For all titles in this series, he is responsible for both creating and directing the films, as well as playing the lead role. The franchise revolves around the African-American Mabel ‘Madea’ Earlene Simmons, an older woman with a lot of street wisdom. The now fourteen films and various stage plays are all comedies, but each with an important underlying message.

2. The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
Last December, Perry also scored well on Netflix. He did this with his war drama ‘The Six Triple Eight’. A story about 855 African-American women who were tasked with catching up on three years of undelivered mail in Europe within six months. All while constantly facing the dangers of war and racism.

3. Don't Look Up (Netflix)
Perry was also part of the star-studded cast of the satirical sci-fi comedy ‘Don't Look Up’. In the film, two astronomers try to warn the world about an impending, and especially world-destroying, comet, but no one seems to want to listen. Perry plays the role of TV host Jack Bremmer, who doesn't take the looming danger seriously either.

4. Beauty in Black (Netflix)
Another recent directing project by Perry is the Netflix series ‘Beauty in Black’. In this drama series, Malory (Crystle Stewart) and Kimmie (Taylor Polidore) lead two completely different lives. Kimmie has been kicked out of her home by her mother and now has to make ends meet as a stripper. Malory may have a somewhat messy family, but she successfully runs a cosmetics company; although smuggling practices seem to cause unrest. When their paths cross, both women face interesting choices.

With many other titles, you can significantly fill your watchlist with the work of Tyler Perry. His latest addition ‘Straw’ is now available on Netflix.

Image: Netflix