#straw 2025

4/5 — ★★★★☆

— 🍎 the bite size review:

a single mom, a really bad day, and a spiral in the middle of a bank common area. straw isn't the average thriller with its tense atmosphere and hitting straight in the viewer's feelings.

taraji p. henson delivers a performance that is so grounded and raw you almost forget you're watching a movie.

— 🎬 the deep dive:

straw disguises itself as a thriller, what it's really doing is holding up a mirror to how we treat people who are under extreme pressure and psychological distress. the tension comes not from car chases or shootouts, but from the weight of everyday struggles — eviction notices, job less, a society that assumes the worst in people.

what makes this movie so effective in my opinion is how it puts us in the protagonist's head. the pacing, camera work, and score itself leans into her anxiety until we as the audience feel cornered with her. you're not just watching a bad day — you're living it with her. and that's why it's so emotionally devastating: it forces you to carry her burden for two hours, and there's no escaping the knot that is tying itself in your stomach.