Straw (2025) ending explained: Did Janiyah survive?

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.

Towards the end, Janiyah breaks down after learning the truth about her daughter. The police break into the bank to arrest Janiyah, however, she doesn't immediately raise her hands in the air, causing the cops to shoot her. Turns out, Janiyah does survive as the whole scene was a fake-out and takes us back in time to reveal what happened.

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 Aria in Straw?

Towards the end, right before Janiyah is about to leave the bank, she receives a call from her mother. Then the shocking plot twist in the story begins to unravel. Her mother tells her that Janiyah's daughter, Aria, is dead. She's been dead the entire day. She had a seizure the previous night and was rushed to the hospital, where she passed away.

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 on the couch at home. When Janiyah received a call from the school while working, it was about getting behind on bills.

But Janiyah had already cracked 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.

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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.