Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson) is introduced as a frazzled single mother raising her chronically ill daughter, Aria, who suffers from seizures. The fractious day kicks off with mounting stress: an eviction issue from her absentee landlord, lenient only until 10 AM; a sobbing Aria recounting humiliation at school due to unpaid lunch money; and Janiyah’s struggle to juggle her daughter, a science project, and her second job at a grocery store.
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Things rapidly unravel when a work disruption alongside her boss adds to her burden, and a distraught back-and-forth between school and workplace. Janiyah receives a call hinting at Aria’s seizure-related injury, prompting her to plead for leave, but her boss gives her 30 minutes only, withholding her paycheck. She races to the school, hoping to comfort Aria, only to confront Child Protection Service (CPS) agents supposedly removing her daughter.
On her way back, Janiyah collides with an off-duty cop, who menacingly swerves toward her, tickets her, and has her car impounded, compounding her helplessness. Evicted, unemployed, and without transportation, she salvages Aria’s medical supplies and school project from the curb, determined to recover her final paycheck.
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A confrontation with her boss turns catastrophic when two armed robbers appear. One recognizes Janiyah by name and demands her backpack containing meds. A scuffle ensues, and Janiyah shoots the robber in self-defence, and in a hysterical haze, also kills her boss, who accuses her of complicity. She flees the shop with her paycheck in hand.
Desperate for funds, Janiyah storms a bank across the street. Manager Nicole (Sherri Shepherd) attempts to help. When a teller refuses to cash her check without ID taken during the ticketing then Janiyah tensely draws a gun. Nicole spots the science project and mistakes it for a bomb. Panic ensues, the police are alerted, and a tense hostage situation begins.
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Detective Kay Raymond (Teyana Taylor), a former Army negotiator, takes charge. Janiyah expresses her anguish on live stream, and public sentiment swings in her favour—“Free Janiyah” becomes a rallying cry. Janiyah fears the cop who ticketed her is still present. Raymond identifies and removes him, then provides photographic proof. Nicole, choosing solidarity, remains inside as a protective ally.
Mid-standoff, Janiyah receives a call from her mother that Aria died from a seizure the prior night. A flood of flashbacks follows, every distressing moment of the day was a hallucination, fueled by grief. CPS, school, and work calls were all figments of her shattered mind. Nicole had known and stayed in solidarity, despite her knowledge of the truth.
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As tear gas and violence seemingly sweep in, we realize these are Janiyah’s hallucinations. In reality, she peacefully surrenders with Nicole and Detective Raymond by her side. She’s arrested but alive and possibly met by a sympathetic crowd, leaving it bittersweetly ambiguous whether the external demonstration is real or again a figment of hope.
Director: Tyler Perry
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Sinbad, Mike Merrill, amongst many others
Runtime: 108 minutes
Watch trailer here.
