Is ‘Straw’ Based on a True Story? Tyler Perry’s Character Janiyah – Hollywood Life

Straw has resonated with Netflix viewers for a variety of reasons, among them being its shocking ending. Tyler Perry made sure to end the film with such a twist that even star Taraji P. Henson was shocked reading the script. So, was Straw written about a true story?

Hollywood Life has gathered everything we know about Tyler’s movie Straw below.

What Is Tyler Perry’s Movie Straw About?

Per the film’s tagline on IMDb, Straw follows a “single mother [who] navigates a series of unfortunate events, leading her down an unforeseen path where she becomes embroiled in a situation she never envisioned, finding herself at the center of suspicion in an indifferent world.”

Straw Movie Ending Explained

If you thought that the ending to Straw was insane, so did Taraji! The actress admitted that she was “blown away” reading the script while speaking with Decider in an interview published on June 6, 2025. She pointed out that everything “made sense in [her character’s] actions.”

“Because what it showed me was that she snapped a long time ago. She snapped the day before,” Taraji said. “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.”

At the end of the Straw, Janiyah’s mother tells her in a phone call that the FBI is at her house. She then relays the shocker of the film: Aria is dead and has been the entire day, but Janiyah hasn’t accepted the reality. Aria had a seizure the prior night, was hospitalized and died.

Flashbacks from Janiyah’s day come into view, and we learn that Janiyah was living her day as if Aria was still alive. This explains why the principal was surprised to see her at school and why Aria’s backpack was still at the house. Furthermore, the phone call that Janiyah got from the school while she was at work was actually a phone call about her overdue bills. Janiyah was living in her own mind while she subconsciously suppressed the trauma of her daughter’s death.

Is Straw Based on a True Story?

Straw is not based on one particular real story. However, according to multiple outlets, Tyler was inspired to write the script about the worsening economic state for people and since he grew up witnessing since mothers working all day to provide for their children.