'Straw' Movie Shows the Quiet Strength of Single Moms, and More

Disclaimer: This article may contain some spoilers.

One Sunday night, my husband and I were looking for a movie on Netflix to cap the weekend. We came across Straw, which was the #1 movie on the streaming platform at the time.

It's a one-hour, 47-minute thriller directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Academy Award-nominee Taraji P. Henson and tells the story of Janiyah Wiltkinson, a devoted single mother pushed to her breaking point, or the last straw, on what could have been an ordinary day with her daughter, Aria (Gabrielle E. Jackson).

Watching the movie made me check on my privilege of raising our children with my husband by my side, and it also opened my eyes to the realities that single moms face every day. 

Tyler Perry's 'Straw' shows the realities of single motherhood

The movie opens with Janiyah waking from a dream inside a messy apartment she shares with her young daughter, Aria. She wakes Aria and gets her ready for school. From the start, we see Janiyah's character. Her first act of kindness is giving what little she has to a homeless man outside their building. She also vowed to pay her landlord as soon as she gets her pay by noon. She promised to give her daughter her lunch money, too.

She heads to work, and it is not a good place either. Her manager nags her, and we are introduced to her only friend, who wants to help her with her daughter's medical expenses. We also learn that Janiyah is relentless. She hasn't let go of her dream of returning to nursing school.

Things turn when she receives a call from her daughter's school. She needs to give her daughter $40 in lunch money. Just minutes into the film, it's clear that Straw isn't just about surviving—it's about how quickly a mother's world can shift, and how hard she'll fight to keep it from falling apart.

'Straw' reminds us about the quiet strength of single moms

What makes Straw so affecting is how it shows the realities that single mothers are experiencing. In the Philippines, recent data indicates that nine out of 10 single parents are women, or 95 percent of the total 15 million single parents in the country.

More than the financial burden of living on one source of income, their emotional and mental well-being is also on the edge. In the movie, Janiyah worked two jobs to make ends meet. Without family or friends to support her, she carries the mental load with no one else to share it with. From the moment her child wakes up, especially when her daughter gets sick, she only has herself to depend on. Nevertheless, her love for her daughter knows no boundaries. 

In an interview, Taraji said, "I was drawn to playing Janiyah, a woman no one sees. I do extensive work in the mental wellness area, and I just found her very interesting because when someone has a break, it's not always a mental illness. This was just a woman who reached a breaking point. And with the way the world is going now, prices are going up, people are losing jobs—what happens to that person who no one really sees? I love how Tyler takes us into the world of that person, and we go on this ride."

Taraji, a single mom herself, added, "I understood Janiyah's struggles profoundly. She's trying her best with very little, but what she lacks in opportunity, she has in abundance when it comes to the love she has for her child."

What 'Straw' reminds us to see

As we see Janiyah's strength in the movie, we also see how exhausting her life has been. In one scene, she says, "I have to do everything myself, every [expletive] thing I do myself. Nobody sees us, nobody hears us." No one knows how long she will suffer like that, but we are reminded of these truths.

1. Single mothers need a support system.

If there's one thing the movie made me remember, it's that it takes a village to raise a mother. Single mothers may not have their partners, but that doesn't mean they are alone. Their immediate family, friends, and even strangers can do something to help. Towards the end of the film, a touching scene occurs when the homeless man she helped at the movie's start repays her kindness. Kindness is free, so we are called to look closer at the people we meet daily, especially the moms who care for their children by themselves. 

2. Single mothers need a break.

"Take a break before you break" is a cliche that mothers hear but often dismiss. With Janiyah's jam-packed schedule, she can't sit still, think of her needs, and fulfill them. While single mothers deserve a grand vacation or a pampering session, even a few minutes for themselves would mean the world. If you know a single mother, ask them how they are doing or offer concrete ways to help them, whether babysitting her child for a few hours or sending a hot meal their way. Every bit of help is appreciated, and it matters. 

3. Single mothers need to be seen.

Straw is powerful because it puts someone like Janiyah, who is often overlooked because of her skin color and status, at the story's center. We see her work hard, hustle, and care for her child, but many of these sacrifices go unrecognized. We can change that, in small but meaningful ways, by hearing them out, offering empathy instead of judgment, and listening to their stories. When Janiyah gets to know Nicole (Sherri Shepherd), the bank manager, she feels a renewed hope she's never experienced or imagined she could have. 

Watching Straw with my family humbled me, and I felt called to do more. Parenting is never easy, but I can't imagine doing it alone. If this film leaves us with anything, it's this: there's still so much to be done, but even small acts of kindness can help build the village every single mother deserves.

Straw is streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer here: