Mirror to our struggles

'STRAW': NEW PRODUCTION BY PERRY STEEPED IN REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE

- Thami Kwazi

For three consecutive weeks, Straw has comfortably held the top spot on Netflix's global charts—and for good reason. Tyler Perry, most famously associated with his Madea franchise and heartfelt dramas like Diary of a Mad Black Woman, shifts gears in this gritty, slow-burning film that strips away the spectacle and hits at the core of human desperation.

Gone are the familiar tropes of comic relief or over-the-top personalities Perry has leaned on in the past.

In Straw, he offers something that feels far more grounded and urgent. Written, produced, and directed by Perry, this is his most restrained and arguably most mature film to date. It's dark, it's tense, and most of all, it's painfully relatable.

At the heart of this emotional spiral is Taraji P. Henson, who plays a single mother just trying to keep her head above water. As the world closes in around her, she finds herself in a series of unfortunate circumstances that ultimately place her at the center of a growing storm.

It's a thriller, yes, but more than that, it's a human story—one that plays out in the quiet struggles so many face behind closed doors.