Janiyah Wiltkinson’s life unravels in a single, harrowing day in Tyler Perry’s Straw. As a struggling single mother, she wakes up in a dilapidated apartment, desperately trying to care for her chronically ill daughter. Her world begins to collapse: overdue rent, medical bills piling up, and threats from an unsympathetic landlord set the tone for what will become a desperate struggle against indifference.

Her attempts to hold everything together are thwarted at every turn. She hustles to her daughter’s school, trying to prevent authorities from intervening due to her unstable situation. On her way back, her car is impounded, forcing her to return to work late—where she is promptly fired. Each mishap compounds, pushing her further into despair.

The pressure finally boils over when a robbery erupts at the grocery store where she works. In the chaos, Janiyah ends up defending herself—killing both the robber and her boss, who had already begun accusing her. Clutching her bloodied paycheck and a borrowed gun, she heads to the bank across the street in search of the money that might save her daughter.

What follows is a tense hostage situation. Lacking proper ID, Janiyah is denied when trying to cash her check, prompting her to brandish the weapon. The bank manager, Nicole, and a negotiator, Detective Raymond, emerge as sympathetic figures who see beyond the gun—recognizing her humanity amid a situation twisted by misunderstanding and desperation.

The heart-wrenching twist reveals that Janiyah’s daughter, Aria, died the night before from a seizure. Unaware of this, Janiyah has been dissociating—operating in a state of denial as a protective mechanism against unbearable trauma. Flashbacks recast earlier scenes, explaining why Aria was absent at school and why familiar routines felt off-kilter.

Rather than the bleak ending originally scripted, the film rewinds and offers a bittersweet resolution: Janiyah is gently guided out of the bank by Nicole, supported by Detective Raymond, and surrounded by protesters showing solidarity as she is taken into custody. This choice underlines themes of empathy, systemic failure, and the thin line between survival and collapse.

At its core, Straw is a high-stakes, emotionally charged thriller grounded in social commentary. It shines a light on how single mothers—especially marginalized Black women—navigate overlapping crises with no safety net. Taraji P. Henson’s raw performance, supported by strong roles from Sherri Shepherd and Teyana Taylor, elevates the film, even as critics point out the heavy-handed messaging and melodramatic structure.