Why Did Nicole Help Janiyah in Straw, Explained

Things get from bad to worse for Taraji P.Henson’s Janiyah in Netflix’s ‘Straw.’ Unfolding over the course of a single day, the movie focuses on the breakdown of a person who has been on the verge of falling apart for a very long time. No matter how much she tries to salvage the day, nothing works in her favour, and eventually, she ends up in a bank with a gun. By this time, she is also the prime suspect in the murder of her boss, who fired her earlier that day. She doesn’t have many people ready to sympathise with her, especially the hostages inside the bank. And yet, the bank’s manager, Nicole, shows exceptional empathy for her till the very end. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Nicole’s Help for Janiyah is Rooted in Compassion

When someone is holding you hostage inside your workplace with a gun in their hand and a bomb in their backpack, it is difficult to sympathise with the person. Several hostages, particularly Tessa, are scared and hateful of Janiyah, but Nicole has a different outlook. While she, too, is scared and worries that Janiyah might end up doing something much worse, she has an inkling of what is going on with her. When the alarm is rung and the cops get in touch with Nicole about the robbery in motion, they first confirm that the criminal in question is Janiyah Wiltkinson. This is also when they tell her that she is already wanted for murder, as well as the fact that she lost her daughter the previous night.

Because Janiyah has been a regular at the bank, Nicole has seen her around enough to know that she is not a bad person. She knows that the single mother is struggling financially, which becomes evident in the morning when Janiyah stops by to get $40 out of her account, which has only $47 left, which she needs to maintain a minimum balance in her account. Nicole has also seen Aria with her mother, so she knows how good Janiyah is to her and how much she cares for her daughter. So, when she finds out that Aria has passed away, she empathises with Janiyah. While she does condone her taking the bank hostage, she understands why the woman has snapped and tries her best to help her.

Nicole’s Kindness Helps Save Janiyah

One thing that Nicole quickly ascertains while handling the situation is that Janiyah is not keen on robbing the bank or hurting anyone. Even when she is given all the cash, she refuses to accept it because all she wants is to cash her $500 paycheck. This shows that she did not arrive at the bank with criminal intent, but ended up getting caught in a series of very unfortunate events. This is why Nicole knows that the best thing to do is to talk to Janiyah, get her what she wants, and calm her down. Even as Tessa starts to panic, Nicole tells her to chill and just cash the check so that Janiyah can leave, which is what would have happened if it weren’t for the cops surrounding the bank, especially that one bad cop with whom Janiyah had a bad encounter a couple of hours back.

And then, Janiyah starts talking about how she needs to get the $40 for her daughter’s lunch money, which breaks Nicole’s heart even more because she realizes that the mother does not remember her daughter’s death. As the hours pass and more details about Janiyah’s struggles come to light, the bank manager becomes more and more sympathetic towards her, though she also tells her that holding people hostage is a crime and it will not end well for her if she doesn’t comply with the cops. Nicole’s composure calms down Janiyah, and eventually, all hostages are allowed to leave the bank.

However, Nicole decides to stay with her because she knows that if she leaves and Janiyah steps out alone, she might panic and do something to set off the cops, who won’t hesitate to kill her. At the same time, she knows that the woman already lacks support, which is what she desperately needs at this time, so instead of escaping the first chance she gets, she decides to stick with Janiyah and show her that she is not alone. This one act has a huge impact on Janiyah, who reveals that no one has ever done such a thing for her. This shows how much difference a simple act of kindness can make.