The Strays is a British horror film, and an attempt at a certain amount of social commentary with a revenge fantasy (a la Quentin Tarantino) from the filmmaker, neophyte director Nathaniel Martello-White.
What is the movie The Strays about
The plot is allegorical and quite simple. The story mainly revolves around a bi-racial woman, Neve (Ashley Madekwe), who is on the run from her abusive husband and leaves her two young children to fend for themselves. Then she remarries a rich white guy and moves to the suburbs.
Some time passes. She had two more children who managed to become teenagers: Sebastian (Samuel Small) and Mary (Maria Almeida). Her husband is nice guy Ian (Justin Salinger). After becoming headmistress of a posh private school, Neve appears to have “succeeded” in high society despite her “humble origins”.
Martello-White emphasizes that Neve hides her original racial identity, refuses to let her hair down, and constantly wears wigs to look European.
In the second part of the film, Neve is suddenly stalked by a young black boy and girl. For a while, it’s unclear if all this is happening in her imagination or in reality.
Then it turns out that teenagers Marvin (Jordon Myrtle) and Abigail (Bukki Boukray) are very real. They are Neve’s children from her previous relationship. The teenagers make it clear that they are not only going to punish their mother for leaving them, but also to humiliate her for betraying their race and lineage in general.
The meaning of the film The Strays
On the one hand, director Martello-White points to the reality of class and racial animosity in modern society, especially the acute conflict between people with dark and fair skin. This is a film in which an oppressed class seeks to “even the score” for past injustices. The old adage that the oppressed become oppressors certainly applies here. The main question that remains is whether Martello-White supports or rejects the oppressed-class tactics he emphasizes.
It is noticeable that the filmmaker has great sympathy for Marvin and Abigail. He considers them the main characters of the film. Even though these two teenagers’ desire for revenge doesn’t make much sense, especially in the case of Ian, their main victim.
Marvin decides to “harden character” Sebastian when he pretends to be about to push him off the roof. But here Martello-White partially admits that there is something abnormal in Marvin’s behavior. After all, this affects poor Sebastian depressingly (the child urinates in his pants).
But it still becomes clear on whose side Martello-White’s sympathies are. Somehow, most of the upper class in the film are worthy of contempt. Take, for example, the arrogant bully Marvin helps Sebastian beat up – Marvin Ivens turns the mild-mannered Sebastian into a monster like himself. And nice guy Ian must also be sacrificed in the eyes of the offended Marvin and Abigail, because he is still part of the “system”.
If Martello-White wanted to show solidarity with the real victims, he would have Neve tell the courier to call the police. But she just runs away, and it looks like the kids from her first relationship got away with murder.
Neve’s flight characterizes her as a cowardly heroine who refuses to stand up for Ian’s memory or side with the rebellious children.
Deep down, Martello-White is only mildly disturbed by the actions of his protagonists. His high society characters are stereotypical straw men who deserve either humiliation (as in the case of Neve) or death (as in the case of Yen).
Both guilty and innocent parties were chosen by Marvin for revenge. Martello-White, however, opposes the notion that “the oppressed become oppressors” and that “there is no worse oppressor than a former slave.” Instead, he advances a teenage fantasy of a slave uprising with no predictable consequences.
Little can be said about the acting, since almost all the characters are passable. Although some may credit the neophyte writer/director for bringing attention to the reality of racial disharmony. Hints that you are on the side of violence will only lead to unproductive and disastrous consequences for those who consider themselves the eternal victims of history.
The Strays ending explanation
Neve has to remember her past – how she spat on her children, abandoned them and lived in luxury. She never regretted anything, did not worry about her children. Therefore, they have every right to be offended by her.
Neve discusses the situation with the children chasing her, asks to give her time. To correct her mistakes, she first tries to give them £20,000 and asks them to leave her alone. Teenagers take this money and disappear from her life.
From a nightmare, Neve escapes with a food delivery man. She is not going to return, but before leaving, she considers it necessary to apologize to her offspring for her own mistakes. The end of the film is similar to its beginning: Neve leaves her children to their fate. The woman runs off into the night, not accepting responsibility for her actions. Neve doesn’t care about any of her children, so her apology is nothing more than hypocrisy. Niv’s carefully constructed life begins to fall apart.
Neve’s behavior demonstrates that she does not love her children from her first marriage. And children from a second marriage are also unlikely. It’s just that Sebastian and Mary play a role in her ideal life. The family photo as a recurring motif in film work suggests the same thing.
