Tyler Perry’s Straw (2025) is a raw and emotionally charged Netflix thriller that dives headfirst into the devastating spiral of poverty, systemic neglect, and racial injustice in America. At its center is Taraji P. Henson’s soul-baring performance as Janiyah, a single Black mother desperately trying to survive one of the worst days of her life. As her world collapses piece by piece—losing her job, her car, her daughter, and even her sense of self—Janiyah finds herself entangled in an accidental bank standoff. With a powerful supporting cast including Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, and Ashley Versher, and Perry’s signature blend of melodrama and social critique, Straw is a heartbreaking but timely story of how quickly the system can fail those it is meant to protect.
If you found yourself moved by Janiyah’s harrowing journey and are looking for movies like Straw that also explore desperate individuals confronting injustice, here are five films that deliver similarly high-stakes emotional and societal drama. These stories feature characters on the edge, backed into corners by poverty, grief, and broken institutions—making them perfect follow-ups to Straw.
1. Widows (2018)
Directed by Steve McQueen and co-written with Gillian Flynn, Widows is a gripping thriller about four women who are left to pick up the pieces after their criminal husbands are killed in a botched heist. Veronica (Viola Davis), a composed yet emotionally gutted woman, spearheads the group in planning their own robbery to pay off a debt left behind by her late husband. The ensemble cast—including Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo—brings depth and nuance to each of their character’s personal battles.
Much like Janiyah in Straw, the women in Widows are not hardened criminals—they’re ordinary people forced into extraordinary and dangerous circumstances. Widows and Straw both peel back the layers of systemic inequality, with race, gender, and class shaping each protagonist’s limited options. If you’re drawn to movies like Straw that mix social commentary with emotional suspense, Widows is an essential watch.
2. John Q (2002)
In John Q, Denzel Washington delivers a searing performance as John Quincy Archibald, a blue-collar father who takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his son is denied a life-saving heart transplant due to insurance limitations. Directed by Nick Cassavetes, the film confronts the broken American healthcare system, raising urgent questions about morality, desperation, and the value of human life.
Straw echoes John Q in tone and narrative structure. Both protagonists are Black parents whose love for their children drives them to seemingly criminal acts. Yet, their actions are born not from malice but from a cornered humanity. These movies like Straw illuminate how quickly a person can go from victim to perpetrator in the eyes of the law, all while exposing the deep rot in societal institutions.
3. A Thousand and One (2023)
This Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, written and directed by A.V. Rockwell, tells the deeply affecting story of Inez (Teyana Taylor), a young woman who kidnaps her son from the foster care system and raises him in a rapidly gentrifying Harlem. Over the years, we witness their intimate bond grow even as the world around them becomes increasingly unrecognizable and hostile. Teyana Taylor gives a transformative performance, not unlike Henson’s in Straw.
Both Inez and Janiyah are single mothers caught in cycles of poverty, under constant threat from social services and law enforcement. A Thousand and One is one of the most poignant movies like Straw because it mirrors the emotional weight of maternal responsibility amid economic instability and systemic cruelty. The film doesn’t rely on suspense or action but builds emotional tension through the everyday struggle of simply trying to keep a child safe and loved.
4. Breaking (2022)
Based on a heartbreaking true story, Breaking stars John Boyega as Brian Brown-Easley, a former Marine who takes a bank hostage after being denied disability payments from Veterans Affairs. Directed by Abi Damaris Corbin, the film is a slow-burn thriller with an emphasis on psychological distress and the failures of the bureaucratic machine. Boyega’s performance is subtle yet shattering, supported by Nicole Beharie and the late Michael K. Williams.
The parallels to Straw are profound—both films feature protagonists who never set out to be criminals, yet find themselves in tense hostage situations due to financial desperation and emotional collapse. In both cases, their acts are not about power but a last-ditch plea to be heard. If you’re searching for movies like Straw that are based on real-world tragedy and bring attention to ignored voices, Breaking is a must-see.
5. Hell or High Water (2016)
David Mackenzie’s neo-Western Hell or High Water follows two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who rob banks in rural Texas to save their family farm from foreclosure. It’s a crime thriller with sharp political undertones, commenting on the predatory nature of modern banking and the decay of the American dream. Jeff Bridges plays a weary lawman closing in on them.
Though Hell or High Water centers on men and unfolds in a different cultural setting, the thematic threads remain similar to Straw. Both films highlight how institutional neglect forces morally conflicted people into criminality. Where Straw focuses on racial and gender disparities, Hell or High Water critiques economic despair and the cycle of poverty. For viewers drawn to movies like Straw with moral complexity and working-class angst, this one delivers with a powerful punch.
