The Strays (2023)

The Strays (2023) In Their Shadow…Neve Williams (Ashley Madekwe) is an upper-class mixed-race woman living an idyllic life with her family. As a socialite in her community and vice-principal of a public school, her privileged life is threatened when her troubled past resurfaces and undermines everything she has built. She has created the perfect family life in an affluent white suburb when two strange strangers appear, determined to pollute her American dream.

The Strays is a British horror thriller written and directed by Nathaniel Martello-White and released in 2023. The film is the director’s first full-length feature… and I’m really not convinced. As for the film’s intro, I found it relatively uninteresting. And the ending… What can I say about the ending?

Go on… I’ll say it: this film sucks! The main character is unbearable from the start. As a result, it’s always difficult to follow someone you have no sympathy for. Even if, of course, you want to see her suffer or be punished for her supercilious arrogance. Let’s not forget that arrogant people don’t exude joie de vivre and pretend to be fine, but we all know that’s not true!

Ashley Madekwe was born in East London to a Swiss and Nigerian father and an English mother. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is well known for her roles in series. In particular for her role as Bambi in the series Diary of a Call Girl, in which she married her on-screen partner, Iddo Goldberg.

This film reminds me of Jordan Peele… which is not a compliment coming from me! Yes, because I find that Get Out (2017) is the only one worth watching, unlike Us (2019) or Nope (2022). This film is sub-Jordan Peele, even if they tried to do the same.

This one is still totally incoherent. It’s staggering! It also reminded me of Funny Games (1997 and remake in 2008). Only not as good.

There are some interesting moments, some nice dialogue. There are even moments when I laughed out loud because it’s so dramatic, disturbing and darkly humorous. In general, I hate films with flashbacks, but the ones in this one are pretty good. But otherwise, you quickly sink into boredom. Big fans of horror films will be bored stiff. Those expecting a dramatic film will be surprised by the violence at the end. And the ending ends with a bang. Although… No, the ending isn’t too bad, but it comes very quickly and isn’t easy to understand. Above all, it shows that some people would rather run away than deal with their problems. Even if it means abandoning everyone they love.

Having said that, didn’t anyone tell the scriptwriter that certain scenes made no sense? And then there’s that final intrusion! I’m willing to accept that in certain situations we can be led to have reactions that defy logic… but there are limits all the same!

For me, it’s one of the worst Netflix turnips ever! What’s fabulous is that the people who loved this film find those who hated it to be thoughtless, ‘people who prefer ultra-light thrillers like Squid Game to well-made psychological thrillers’. Some are shocked by the reviews or say they’ve seen films made with an iPhone with much better ratings than this. How pathetic! As if a film shot on a phone could only be bad. It’s the ideas that count.

This one is very well made and the scenes are not devoid of meaning. It lacks a little action. The plot is quite crazy and original, but above all dramatic. Those in the know will say it’s déjà vu, but not for me. What a shame!

It’s sad when really good ideas go up in smoke. I can understand those who set up Internet accounts just to testify to the awfulness of this kind of film. And yet I’ve seen some dreck. But in this case, it’s enough to make you bow your head!

There will always be strong minds to over-analyse the film and explain its supposed depth. Good for them! This film doesn’t deserve any analysis, since we shouldn’t waste too much time analysing mediocrity. Nor does it deserve to be seen, but I couldn’t have known that beforehand.