7 movies to watch if you liked STRAW
STRAW has garnered many audiences with its raw portrayal of a single mother pushed to her breaking point, showcasing Tyler Perry's most grounded and emotionally moving story.
Starring Taraji P. Henson, this movie explores the desperation after life's pressures become unbearable and ordinary people are compelled into extraordinary circumstances.
The film's exploration of economic hardship, parental sacrifice, and moral compromise resonates deeply with viewers who understand the daily struggles of service-class families.
The film demonstrates how quickly life can spiral out of control when someone's bad luck is hanging by their last thread, creating a tense psychological drama that feels both universal and intimate.
For viewers connected with the film's tropes of maternal devotion, economic desperation, and the moral complexities that arise when good people are pushed too far, these seven films will provide similar emotional depth and explore comparable themes of ordinary people facing dilemmas.
Precious, Queen & Slim, A Simple Plan, and four other movies to watch if you liked STRAW
1) Precious
Like the titular film, Precious presents an equal look at a mother's struggle against overwhelming situations. This tragic drama follows Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a teenage mom facing poverty, abuse, and illiteracy while fighting for survival. The film's exploration of poverty and family trauma echoes themes found in STRAW, particularly how economic desperation can trap individuals in cycles of violence and sorrow.
Both films deny romanticizing poverty, instead presenting honest portrayals of how financial stress impacts family dynamics. Precious's raw emotional honesty will resonate with viewers who acknowledge STRAW's unhinged approach to depicting the harsh realities faced by struggling families.
This film is available on Amazon Prime.
2) Queen & Slim
Queen & Slim shares STRAW's theme of ordinary people being pushed into a criminal situation beyond their control. This crime drama follows a couple whose first date becomes a nightmare when a traffic stop escalates into a violent sequence. Like the titular film's main characters, Queen and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith) never intended to become criminals but find themselves making undesirable choices as their situation worsens.
Both movies examine how social pressures can push good people into questionable actions, creating complicated moral situations where right and wrong become blurry. The helplessness driving both films stems from feeling trapped by circumstances beyond control.
Viewers can watch this movie on Amazon Prime.
3) A Simple Plan
A Simple Plan captures the moral spiral demonstrated in STRAW, showing how decent intentions can lead to increasingly helpless actions. This psychological thriller follows three men who discover a crashed plane with millions of dollars, leading them down a path of violence and deception.
Like STRAW, the film depicts how financial desperation can corrupt well-meaning individuals when presented with what seems like an accessible solution.
The small-town setting and working-class characters mirror STRAW's emphasis on simple people facing complex moral dilemmas. Both movies explore how economic pressure can make illegal activities seem essential for survival, with one bad decision leading to increasingly complex consequences.
This movie is available on Amazon Prime.
4) Hell or High Water
Hell or High Water shares STRAW's spotlight on economic desperation driving criminal behavior, following two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who rob banks to save their family ranch from closing.
This modern Western explores themes similar to STRAW, particularly how financial firms can push service-class families to their breaking point. Both films present main characters whose criminal actions stem from honest attempts to protect their families rather than simple greed.
The desperation driving the bank robberies mirrors the need that pushes STRAW's protagonist toward criminal involvement.
This is an essential viewing for STRAW fans because of its nuanced approach to criminal purposes. It avoids simple moral judgments while presenting complicated situations where criminal behavior arises from systemic failures and personal desperation.
This movie is available on Amazon Prime.
5) Frozen River
Frozen River shares STRAW's intimate focus on a struggling single mother forced into the criminal world to provide for her children. This indie drama follows Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo), who becomes involved in human trafficking across the U.S.-Canada border to earn money for her family. Like the titular film, the film presents a realistic portrayal of how economic desperation can push good people into risky illegal activities.
The winter setting creates a physical metaphor for the emotional coldness and isolation that Ray and STRAW's protagonist experience. Both women are alone in their struggles, facing financial crises without proper support systems.
The desperation that drives Ray to risk everything creates parallel stories about maternal survival and sacrifice.
The movie is available on Amazon Prime.
6) The Pursuit of Happyness
While The Pursuit of Happyness takes a more optimistic approach than STRAW, both films explore the challenges faced by single parents who struggle to provide for their children while maintaining hope and dignity.
This biographical drama follows Chris Gardner's (portrayed by Will Smith) journey from homelessness to success, showing the daily sacrifices and humiliations required to survive economic hardship while caring for a young child.
The film's focus on systemic barriers connects directly to themes in STRAW, though it offers a more hopeful perspective. Both movies show how financial desperation affects family life, from housing problems to healthcare access.
Viewers can watch this movie on Netflix.
7) Monster
Monster examines how poverty, trauma, and desperation can lead someone down a criminal path they never intended to take. This biographical crime drama narrates Aileen Wuornos's (Charlize Theron) story, a s*x worker who becomes a serial killer but presents her actions within the context of mental illness, abuse, and economic desperation.
The movie creates empathy for a character whose actions are wrong, but their motivations are understandable given the circumstances.
Both films feature protagonists who begin as victims of systemic failures before becoming perpetrators. The desperation driving both characters stems from feeling trapped by circumstances beyond control, with violence emerging as the only available survival option.
This movie is available on Disney+.
These seven films explore similar themes to STRAW while offering different perspectives on helplessness and moral compromises people make when facing difficult circumstances. They create engaging character portrayals that challenge viewers to consider complex factors influencing human behavior.
