No More 'Final Girl' Clichés: Last Straw Breaks the Mold
There’s nothing safe or sugarcoated about Last Straw. Jessica Belkin leads the film as Nancy, a woman working alone during the dead hours at a local diner. She’s not the typical horror survivor you might expect. Yes, she’s pregnant—and unapologetically open about her past choices—but she’s also tough, flawed, and not glued to the idea of fitting any kind of societal standard. That’s a big step away from classic horror where characters are often punished for stepping out of line.
The film dials up the intensity right from the start. After a tense firing at the diner sends a former employee over the edge, Nancy finds herself trapped in a nightmare: masked intruders storm the place, turning her late shift into a game of survival. The attackers aren’t monsters or supernatural forces. They’re all too human, and that makes the violence—and the fear—feel unsettlingly real.
Kitchen Tools and Unlikely Heroes
Nancy isn’t some action hero with a secret weapon hidden up her sleeve. She defends herself with whatever she can grab, from a meat tenderizer to the grease-filled fryer in the kitchen. It’s gritty, and honestly, pretty refreshing. Flashbacks gradually unravel how the situation spiraled out, letting viewers piece together the antagonist’s mental unraveling after being fired. Instead of relying on long-winded backstory dumps, the film uses sharp, jarring scenes to show just how far people can fall.
Panic sets in when Nancy, desperate for backup, texts her friend Tabitha (played by Tara Raani). It’s a move anyone might make, but it backfires badly, drawing Tabitha into the chaos and turning what started as survival into a test of loyalty and trust. The tension stays high, with every choice carrying weight—sometimes deadly consequences. Unlike most horror leads, Nancy’s not portrayed as innocent or naive. She’s bold, sexual, and unashamed, which makes The Last Straw feel far more modern than a lot of its genre peers.
Jessica Belkin gets plenty of praise for lending actual depth to her character. Nancy is allowed to be messy and raw, and Belkin doesn’t shy away from any of it. Critics like how the film calls out old horror traditions, swapping the usual moralizing for something much more layered and real. The directing and violence never let up, keeping the pressure on without cheapening the story through over-the-top gore. Some reviewers feel the plot could zig-zag more—its straight path may bore those looking for crazy twists—but for folks tired of seeing the same story again and again, Last Straw lands hard.