Harta

Tyler Perry's Straw is an emotional knockout. It's a raw, honest look at how people carry silent pain until something small becomes the breaking point. Taraji P. Henson is phenomenal as always-her performance is layered and deeply moving. Sherri Shepherd is the real surprise here. She is absolutely amazing, bringing heart and depth that lingers long after the credits roll. This film reminds us that everyone's struggle looks different, and sometimes it only takes one moment to unravel it all. It has the heart and weight of an early 2000s classic. The only thing that keeps it from fully landing in that space is the cinematography. While it gets the job done, it doesn't elevate the story the way it could. Tyler has worked with this DP before, and I'd really like to see a stronger visual approach next time to match the caliber of the performances and script. Still, Straw is one of Perry's most honest and powerful films to date.

The movie "Straw" by Tyler Perry I just felt compelled to write about and share my thoughts and my heart for advocating in the mental health community; mental health in the Black Community; mental health Awareness. I am someone who lives with Bipolar-my experience living with it has been a challenge still challenging, breaking and being broken. Yes mental health struggles have broken me still break me. I've lived through psychosis, mania, depression and mixed episodes while raising my son as a single mother. I swear Janiyah's heart towards Aria reminded me no matter the broken parts of me I had this little person relying on me. Living with mental illness is an unexplainable brokenness it's a relentless condition to live with. Watching Taraji character "Janiyah" break down mentally from experiencing such a traumatic moment in her already broken life. Those moments were triggering, yes, her moments triggered me just because I lived it I still live it was such a true reflection.

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar since I was 19, living it for 31 years. This movie has struck a core within me it reminded me why I got involved in the mental health field. To save a life by bringing awareness of sharing my close and personal journey with Bipolar and all its impactful possibilities it can have in someone's life. Many of the mentally ill can be so misunderstood just reflecting on the scene when "Janiyah" Taraji's character went through a series of memories towards what caused her psychotic break or the psychosis she experienced; and just in the series of events brought her to that pivotal moment of committing crime(s) or how she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So many men and women and adolescence end up in jail from these moments of a mental break down or lacking awareness and perhaps others saw the mental state of someone but didn't get involved because our community is taught to turn a blind eye of helping each other even when it's obvious and being witnessed.

Straw just brought up so many thoughts it reminded me of the fire and passion to stay involved and to further help someone like a "Janiyah" from a woman's perspective with a mental health condition and surviving the ugliness of having Bipolar and still surviving. Due to my faith and by God's grace I can go through those broken moments because they still happen but I know my faith is still here and it's been my saving grace. Not to say I live a normal life but truly what's normal these days. I've been able to endure even when nothing makes sense to why am I having these moments, but it wasn't until I learned awareness that's when I decided to fight back. Awareness is what saved my life many people aren't aware of, but it can be the first step to a better life not a cured life but better, to bring hope and healing. Creating a healing community is something I pray about to continue fighting for the mental health of others. I've been blessed to find myself at the center of advocating although I am one person and sometimes, I can't reach everybody but if I can reach one person that brings me joy, and everybody deserve to feel and see God's grace during those broken moments. God may not take it away, but resources and people are in place to help those hurting and who suffer in silence.

Straw was an amazing depiction of mental health and the broken parts no one talks about. I commend Tyler Perry and the cast for the amazing work, and this put mental health at the center of bringing awareness because you never know what the next person is experiencing. Thank you Tyler for bringing mental health to for frontline and mainstream.

If You See Something Say Something.

Blessings to the mental health community we must do better.

Truly, Ayana H.

I actually really like the story for this movie, more than I thought it would. It was in many ways relatable, and often left me deep in thought about societal ills. For that I give it credit.

The writing is so so. A lot of the dialogue especially was very amateurish and unrealistic. This also made the actors seem worse than they were.

The lead(s) did amazing, absolutely nailed it. A lot of the rest of the cast, especially most if not all of the people portraying police, seemed really poorly acted, however.

That's where I landed on a 6. I think it's a good movie that most people will enjoy, but had too many warts to rate much higher.

As always Taraj P Henson is outstanding. Shes one of the best actors in Hollywood in my opinion. The movie starts out very good and tense.the story is typical of a hostage style bank robber who's had a bad day formula. It is pretty much an all black cast and that is cool being a Tyler Perry movie. It highlights the difficulty of a single black mother who is trying desperately to take care of her sick child in a world where nobody cares about her or her child. She is just in a terrible situation that only seems to get worse as the day goes on. It's nothing super original in that aspect. I guess where the message gets a bit mixed is that just because someone is on hard times and is having a terrible day or whatever doesnt make it ok to go into a bank with a gun and pull it on a bank teller for not cashing your check due to policy procedures. I get the feeling that Tyler Perry goes for us to feel bad and even look past a crime because it is a black woman . I mean people of all colors go through the exact same thing and is someone supposed to be totally forgiven because they are a minority? In the film a she cuts off a white cop on her way to her daughters school and of course he is a racist who drives her off the road and then tells her if he sees her again he's going to shoot her right in front of a female white officer who tells the white male cop to leave but still writes her a ticket that Taraj Henson character can't affords. I mean that is totally a ridiculous premise and we all get tickets we can't afford and again, is the officer supposed to not give her a ticket because she is black ? It just seems like the message is if you are a minority going through a hard time then you should be forgiven or given a break over others because of the color of your skin and that should not be the case. I'm sure people will think I'm being offensive, and I get that things are different between minorities and law enforcement but I don't understand really the message that Tyler Perry is going for if it is in fact that somehow because of race that it's ok to commit crimes and take people hostage because someone is going through a hard time in life. It's a fine movie and I enjoyed it but this mixed message I'm sure does not go unnoticed by many people.

I've never seen a Tyler Perry movie before, but this is certainly not what I expected! The movie is absolutely heart-wrenching, with devastatingly emotional performances by Taraji P. Henson and the other actresses. Some of the side characters felt a little off, but not so much as to take away from the main story.

The movie is labelled as a thriller, but it feels more like a horror movie where the villain is America and its many oppressive systems that compound to make life difficult for everyday people.

The movie did feel a little too long at times, with certain elements dragging on unnecessarily long. The twist at the end was unexpected, but welcome, as it added another layer to the main character's actions and led me to revisit some early moments in the movie with a new perspective.

Overall, I thought it was very good, and I would recommend it.