In a narrative about racial discrimination, abandonment, and appropriation, Neve/Cheryl (Ashley Medekwe), a light-skinned black woman, abandons her two young Black kids, Dione (Bukky Bakray) and Carl (Jordan Myrie), in The Strays, a film by director Nathaniel Martello-White, and starts a new life in a wealthy, all-white suburban area outside of London.
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How does the story unfold?
In the first meet Cheryl, a Black woman who is dejected and moans about her life in the first scene of the movie. She is sitting on a worn-out couch in a run-down room as an ambient stream-of-consciousness voice talks about how exhausted she is of leaning on the government for handouts. She is sick of being stared at while waiting in line for assistance. The narration becomes increasingly louder, as if she were being suffocated by it and the claustrophobic conditions of her working-class home.
Cheryl abruptly stands and exits the room, leaving behind whatever life she had been leading up to that point. The next image shows a well-kept, elegant suburban area with middle-class to upper-class white folks going about their everyday lives and doing yard work. Next, Neve meticulously applies cosmetics to her face by dabbing on light hues to highlight her pale features and cover up everything that gives her a black appearance.
She is putting the finishing touches on her white “mask,” which she is hiding behind, rehearsing her white, upper-class accent.
How does Neve’s past catch up with her?
We first meet Carl and Dione, the poor black siblings who’ve saved enough money to stay in a hotel and plan an ambush, in a flashback that also happens to be the lowest point of the movie. After more than ten years of silence, the children Neve, now going by Cheryl, had left behind and are returning to seek answers. Carl accepts a janitorial position at the school, while Dione accepts a secretary position at Ian’s company to continue closely watching their estranged mother.
Sebastian is drawn into a web of lies by Carl after he befriends him in an effort to learn more about his problematic mother’s new family. Similarly, Dione gets to know Mary better and finds out about the charity banquet that would be held in Neve’s enormous home. Although they first thought they would continue their ruse to get information from their newly discovered siblings, the more time they spend with Sebastian and Mary, the more their long-repressed rage begins to bubble to the surface.
The more they observe the prosperous, happy life that Neve’s new children lead, the more enraged they become at not being given the life they were entitled to. The uninvited guests arrive on the day of the gala to ogle all the luxury that could be their own and a mother who would prefer to deny their presence than embrace it.
Her new life’s demise is being materialized before her eyes as she sees Carl and Dione. Neve lashes out angrily, frightening her new family and amusing the guests’ astonished looks. She hears the pain in her daughter’s voice as it cracks to call out, “Mother.”
Neve tells her new family she had to leave her two kids behind to flee her abusive husband, and she does it without the slightest inkling of guilt. She even goes so far as trying to pay them off to clear her name and set Dione and Carl on a different course.
Dissecting the ending
After the most stressful three or four minutes of Scrabble, Carl gets irate and throws the board while standing up and yelling, “I’m bored!” Carl makes his way to the kitchen counter as water from the tap that they left open floods the living room. Carl takes out a machete and asks Ian how many bench presses he can do. Carl is still brandishing a large blade as the two of them make their way outside to the weight room.
In the meantime, Neve is sorting out the takeout delivery man at the front door since they ordered Chinese. Ian struggles with the massive amount of weight Carl has placed on him until his arms give out, and the weight falls on him, crushing his windpipe and killing him instantly.
Returning to the foyer, Carl joins Dione and his half-siblings Mary and Sebastian. The four kids are waiting together for Neve to return after she somehow escaped via the front door during the excitement. Instead, they hear a motorcycle start to sputter as it pulls away from the home.
Neve/Cheryl has left her kids once more after running off with the delivery guy. This time, they are all involved. The four kids are seen standing together in silence in the final scene. They find it hard to believe that she’s done it yet again. It’s a not-so-mysterious turn that accomplishes its goal and highlights the tale of a woman who poses a real flight danger when she begins to lose control.
Take away
The Strays is one of, if not the best, 2023 psychological thriller yet. You should definitely give it a try.
