Tyler Perry's Straw (2025) ending explained: Did Janiyah survive?

By Abhisri Kodandaraman

Modified Jun 11, 2025 13:54 GMT

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Straw (2025) is an American thriller movie that premiered on June 6, 2025, on Netflix. Directed and produced by Tyler Perry, the movie follows a struggling mother, Janiyah, who loses her daughter Aria to child protective services. Quite literally on her final straw, Janiyah resorts to extreme measures to protect both herself and her daughter.

The official synopsis of the movie, as per the streaming platform, reads:

"What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation."

The movie stars Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah Wiltkinson. Other cast members include Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Sinbad, Rockmond Dunbar, Ashley Versher, Mike Merrill, and Glynn Turman.

Janiyah, who is having the worst day possible, goes to the bank to cash her check for her daughter's lunch money. Janiyah forgets her ID, so the cashier denies her the money. At this point, she snaps and pulls out a gun to force the cashier. One thing leads to another, and Janiyah is mistaken for a bank robber, and the entire bank becomes her hostage.

In the end, Nicole, the bank manager, takes Janiyah by the hand and leads her outside the bank. With her hands up in the air, Janiyah is handcuffed by the police and taken into custody. She thanks Nicole for saving her life before being driven away, while her supporters cheer her on.

In an interview with Decider published on June 6, 2025, Perry and Henson opened up about the ending of the film. There was an alternate ending that resulted in Janiyah's death, which he changed.

“I can’t do that to her, and the audience, because this will just kill them,” Perry stated."

To which Henson replied:

"So that’s why he ended it the way he did, which I thought was great."

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What happened to Janiyah in Straw?

The story follows Janiyah, a working-class mother who works as a cashier at a grocery store. She drives to drop her daughter off at school and then heads to work. During this time, it is revealed that she is behind on her rent, her boss constantly breathes down her neck, and her daughter, Aria, is bullied at school for needing lunch money. Janiyah’s only silver lining is that she is supposed to receive her paycheck that day.

The day worsens for Janiyah as she rushes to school to prevent Aria from being taken by social services for not properly caring for her. On her way back to work, her car is towed, leading to her being fired for being late. Janiyah does not receive her pay, which also results in her eviction, causing her to have a mental breakdown.

After losing all hope, Janiyah goes back to the shop in order to beg her cranky boss to pay her out, but suddenly they are attacked by robbers, and in a tussle, she kills the robber and her boss, who tries to blame the whole incident on her. Janiyah snaps after the incident, taking her $500 cheque and the robber’s gun to the bank to get her payout.

Janiyah tries to cash out but is denied as she forgot her ID. Fueled by desperation, she pulls out the gun and threatens the cashier. The manager, Nicole, who recognizes Janiyah as a regular, calls the police, mistaking the scenario as a robbery. Janiyah gains sympathy from the public after hearing her side through the media, especially from Detective Kay Raymond, who initially understands the situation and tries to calm down Janiyah.

Towards the end of the film, Straw, Janiyah break down after learning the truth about her daughter. Her mother tells her that Aria has died in the hospital due to a seizure.

As flashbacks throughout the day begin to unfold, it is revealed that even though Janiyah was carrying out her day as if her daughter lived, she was alone. This is why the principal was shocked to see her at school, and why Aria's backpack was still found outside the house after being evicted.

When Janiyah received a call from the school for social services while working, it was actually about her overdue bills. She imagines her daughter being taken away.

Eventually, the police break into the bank, and the cops shoot her. It turns out that Janiyah survives, as the whole scene is just another of Janiyah's imagination, which brings her back to reality.

Janiyah had already snapped and was in denial. Her mind was shielding her from unspeakable trauma. Nicole admits that the police had already informed her beforehand that Aria was dead, and was therefore aware that Janiyah was experiencing a psychotic break from reality.

The movie, Straw, ends with Nicole taking Janiyah to surrender, and Detective Kay Raymond brings her into custody.

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Taraji P. Henson on playing Janiyah in Straw

Actress Taraji P. Henson Speaks At Congressional Black Caucus Forum On Black Youth Suicide And Mental Health - Source: Getty

In the interview, Taraji P. Henson spoke about how she felt when she read the plot twist in Straw for the first time.

"Reading the script, I was blown away. But then it made sense, in her actions. Because what it showed me was that she snapped a long time ago. She snapped the day before. She was just on automatic. She wasn’t even in her body, to be quite honest. I just played the honesty of her living the life, as if nothing happened," she explained.

She also opened up about how she feels about trauma and the way the black community deals with it.

"You know, the only way you heal trauma is to deal with it, and talk about it. It’s more Black trauma! Well, we have a lot of it. The only way to heal is to talk about it. That’s our problem in the Black community. We want to ignore, pretend like things didn’t happen, but it’s the only way you heal. You don’t get over it. You go through it," she stated.

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Straw is available to stream on Netflix.