The Strays

I watched it out of curiosity because my dad left when I was young and never tried to contact me. After I had a son I wondered what would drive a parent to just disappear. Really cold. I would move mountains to see my son. I would move to differant countries just to be near him. Anyway, back on track...I never felt the way these kids did. I just never gave my dad a thought. A lot of complaints have been made about the ending but I could not have thought of a better one. I took two seconds, waited for the movie to resume, then burst out laughing. As comical as it was, it was so ironic that the ending itself deserves 10 stars. Though the movie is slightly predictable, it was worth the watch just to see the ending.

I clicked on The Strays knowing nothing about it, and i'm glad I did as I think the preconception of it being terribly acted/scripted would have dampened my viewing experience. Yes, there are flaws here but I don't think these are down to the actors abilities, so much as a mismatch of direction, staging and direction. It felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be. Was it a horror? Was it a gritty british itv drama? Was it low budget? High concept? It seemed to travel through all those identities and didn't seem to settle until the crescendo at the end of it being a horror thriller....kind of.

Having now read that the writer wanted to portray Neve as a multi layered character, neither good nor bad, I can make sense of what they were trying to achieve. The actors did the best with what they presented, but unfortunately there was a bizarre mix of surreal and realism that just became confusing. I couldn't help but think 'is this trying to be Get Out lite but got lost on the way?'. Also characters needed fleshing out a little. Details were scant apart from a mention of a stay in a psychiatric unit, children being 'got rid of', and a maybe abusive relationship. There was no explanation as to how Neve had achieved her position, or what her intentions were at key moments.

Saying all this, I'm glad I watched The Strays. It kept me gripped, I was interested in the subject matter, it just failed in a consistent tone or a fully rounded narrative sadly.

It is one of those movies that leaves you confused, like a David Lynch film. It was disturbing in many ways and what a lot of people criticised as bad acting was, for me, intentional. Neve's reactions are purposely out of touch with reality and a lot is left for the viewer to guess, again, on purpose, as it all adds to the uncomfortable feeling the viewer is meant to feel. It is a psychological drama and in that respect has achieved its goal. I found it to be very disturbing to watch, because it touches on certain subjects that are real and frightening. It was everything but boring and I think that those who perceived it as such have misunderstood the feelings it was meant to convey.

From the trailer I thought that this maybe a supernatural film with a twist, you get the twist I guess, but it was not what I expected.

Not one to read reviews and jump on the negative bandwagon, but I found the " Neve " character hard to stomach with her over polite correctness front, however, Ashley Madekwe played this role very well, you really did grow to hate her has the film went on, which I believe was the directors/scriptwriters aim.

I think the element of surprise has to the identity of the "strays" thankfully is explained sooner than later, and again Bukky Bakray and Jordan Myrie were excellent playing this out.

Maybe might appeal more to a british audience, just my take on this film.

The Strays isn't a movie that's going to leave you feeling good once it ends. It will require you to put aside your desires for a story that is clean, easy to follow and wraps up with a pretty bow. Most people, especially those of a "certain persuasion" are not going to like this movie because: A - They can't understand where it's coming from and never will be able to or B - They feel like it's racist which it is not

You'll just have to judge for yourself if it's worth watching. I can guarantee that you'll either love it or you'll hate it. I thought it was great. The young lady that played Dione needs to be in more movies.