Straw (2025) – When the Smallest Thing Breaks Everything
Straw is a slow-burning psychological thriller that examines the fragile boundary between order and collapse. Directed by Rose Glass, this haunting and atmospheric film tells the story of a seemingly ordinary man whose carefully constructed life begins to unravel after one small, unexpected incident—the final “straw” in a life already on the edge.
Michael Grey (played with quiet intensity by Andrew Scott) is a lonely office worker living a rigid, isolated existence in a nameless city. He moves through his days in silence, unnoticed and unremarkable. But when a stranger bumps into him on the street and offers no apology, something inside him snaps. That moment becomes the catalyst for a quiet descent into madness.
As Michael’s grip on reality begins to fray, the film paints a disturbing portrait of suppressed rage and emotional numbness in the modern world. Minor annoyances turn into obsessions. Routine interactions become threats. The calm, muted color palette mirrors the emptiness of his inner life, while the sound design pulses with increasing tension.
Straw doesn’t rely on traditional violence or jump scares—it builds dread through psychological pressure, everyday encounters, and a growing sense of claustrophobia. Andrew Scott’s performance is chilling in its restraint, revealing a man imploding from the inside out.
More than just a story about mental breakdown, Straw is a commentary on loneliness, disconnection, and the invisible weight people carry until it crushes them. It’s subtle, disturbing, and quietly devastating.
By the time the credits roll, Straw leaves a lingering question: how many people are walking around one step away from breaking, and how often do we notice?
