Though it can feel disjointed, and the horror could have done with dialing up, The Strays takes a satisfyingly enraged and confrontational approach to the whitewashing of a life.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 24, 2023

Writer/director Nathaniel Marello-White doesn’t do nearly enough for his lead character, Neve (Madekwe), as far as examining the situation she’s put herself in.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Mar 22, 2023

Nathaniel Martello-White knows a few things -- such as generating suspense -- but needs to learn a few others -- such as keeping the audience engaged towards the end. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 13, 2023

Gan open-ended flourish at the end, it’s hard to tell just what first-timer Martello-White is angling for: family responsibility, class division, fear of foreigners? There’s shades of all that in Strays, but no recoil.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 8, 2023

You can’t run from who you are and certainly shouldn’t run your background – no matter what society imparts on you. The Strays puts these revelations to the table, but sacrifices the wrong characters' mortal pretenses at the expense of another.

| Mar 3, 2023

The execution of ideas here can be bumpy: sometimes you’d like more back-story, other scenes meander. But moments of social satire also land with real oomph. And Madekwe is terrific...

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 3, 2023

Nathaniel Martello-White’s film has a certain flair in its melodrama, but its efforts to add moral nuances are weak.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 2, 2023

The Strays has an interesting and resonant message at its heart, in theory. It has a lot to say, in theory. Yet after the first few minutes, theory is all that’s left.

| Mar 1, 2023

Despite being based on a true story, The Strays, at best, tries yet fails to comment on unjust racial inequalities that led to people making bad life decisions.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 1, 2023

Despite messy plotting and occasional ill focus, fantastic lead performances help The Strays find its way before a knockout ending really carries Martello-White’s eye-catching debut home.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 1, 2023

It’s a stylish film, but one that’s ultimately too shallow and familiar to be truly effective... The Strays feels too much like Peele Lite.

| Feb 28, 2023

The Strays redounds in a naive stereotyped vision... an aberration that precipitously falls prey to what it wants to criticize. And this is what, ultimately, is the most horrifying of the whole movie. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/10 | Feb 28, 2023

Nathaniel Martello-White's debut film delivers something quite potent, and stands out amidst the hum-drum thrillers on Netflix's movie slate.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 27, 2023

At times, the atmosphere and thrills created will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. It also manages to tackle important themes. Unfortunately, it feels too indecisive and a bit on the choppy side.

| Original Score: 5/10 | Feb 24, 2023

The script unconvincingly makes these characters out as demons before rewinding to tell their story in a twist that’s not only easy to predict, but that breaks the film’s moral consistency.

| Feb 23, 2023

Nathaniel Martello-White’s feature debut The Strays is a social thriller that lacks bite, discipline, and a compelling third act.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 23, 2023

For all her co-stars’ gifts, the movie really belongs to Ms. Madekwe, upon whose eloquently expressive face Mr. Martello-White relies to carry much of his film.

| Feb 23, 2023

The Strays often wanders into some potentially dramatic territory, but leaves before sniffing under every rock.

| Feb 23, 2023

Nathaniel Martello-White has announced himself with a very strong debut. If this is his starting point, I can only imagine what heights he’ll take us next.

| Original Score: B+ | Feb 23, 2023

Ashley Madekwe plays a very unlikeable yet compelling protagonist in The Strays, and it's full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 22, 2023