We’ve all been there before. We wake up, ready to go about our day, assuming it’ll be normal and uneventful, then a snag happens, and from there the day completely unravels into a series of bad events and unfortunate circumstances. For Nancy (Jessica Belkin), a waitress working at her father’s small town diner, the most disastrous of bad days leads to a fight for her life, as well as the chance to prove her toughness in Alan Scott Neal’s Last Straw.

Neal’s directorial debut succinctly sets the stage to show us that Nancy is…struggling. She’s recently found out she’s pregnant, her car breaks down on the way to work, and the people she works with are all toxic in their own ways, including her own father, Edward (Jeremy Sisto). She takes her newly appointed position as manager seriously though, stressing out about getting to work on time and trying in vain to dole out orders to the crew. 

That crew consists largely of guys who go out of their way to make Nancy’s life difficult, including Bobby (Joji Otani-Hansen), and Jake (Taylor Kowalski). The only employee who attempts to keep his head down and remain trouble-free is Petey (Christopher M. Lopes), who is a beacon of light in an otherwise dismal setting.

When a group of troublemaking teens enters the diner, exhibiting rude and outlandish behavior, it sets in motion a misfortune of events that spirals out of control, leaving Nancy on her own to try to outwit multiple assailants and survive the night. 

Last Straw is aptly named in that it examines what people are capable of, both good and bad, when they’ve reached their limit on the amount of trials they can take on at one time. As a whole, this resembles your traditional home invasion-style story, complete with masked villains, but delves deeper into the human psyche from the perspectives of both victim and bad guy. 

This helps set the film apart from others in its subgenre by giving you a sympathetic protagonist (who still isn’t without their own flaws), who must pull from deep within to rely on their own courage, wit, and resilience. It also subtly touches on serious, real-world issues of women who are up against toxic masculinity and aren’t ever taken seriously. Neal and writer Taylor Sardoni don’t beat you over the head with this, but rather weave it into the plot in ways that make sense.

To help support this, Belkin carries the heft of the engaging performances on her shoulders. She easily shows a sense of authenticity in every scene, and nails victimized terror with believability, while also not overdoing it.

From a production standpoint, Last Straw feels like a big budget theatrical release in regards to cinematography, score, and editing. It smartly pulls you in within the first few minutes, trails back enough to provide needed exposition, then hurls you into the action and doesn’t let go until the final credits. It’s only real fault is when it begins to jump back and forth between protagonist and antagonist. The goal was likely to provide a break in tension and allow the audience to see the other side of the story, but it ends up feeling more disjointed and unnecessary than anything else.

Ultimately, this is a smart, gripping, well made thriller that tackles social issues while also giving good ol’ fashioned scares.