A Stray is quiet, beautiful, and like nothing you’ve seen before

When I first read about A Stray in 2016, I was intrigued. But as so often happens, I didn’t get around to seeing it while it was in theaters. Thankfully, it is now available on both Amazon and YouTube. I finally watched it a few weeks ago and was glad I did. The film has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes for a good reason: it is a beautiful drama that is unlike any film you’ve seen before.

Adan is a young Somali immigrant living in Minneapolis. When we first meet him, he upsets the other men he is living with and ends up homeless. He tries to be a good Muslim, but he has a hard time doing the right thing. Just when it appears that things are looking up for him, he hits a dog with his car. Urged by a passerby to take her to the vet, he suddenly finds himself looking after an animal that is viewed as ritually impure by many Muslims.

Adan has an ambivalent relationship with the dog, whom he names Laila. On the one hand, he clearly cares for her; on the other hand, he does everything he can to avoid touching her and keeps trying, at least half-heartedly, to find a new home for her.

The film wanders with Adan as he travels through Minneapolis and St. Paul, trying to find money and spots where he can catch a little sleep. I was frequently surprised by Adan’s choices. He is astray, trying to find his way. The end of the movie itself is ambiguous. Adan is poised to take a certain act, but will he do it? That’s left to our imaginations. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself pondering what you think he’ll do and whether or not that’s the right choice.

I’m not always a passive consumer of entertainment: I will laugh out loud as I read passages in books or cringe when I can tell something bad is about to happen in a film. This movie had me deeply engaged, as I gave Adan advice and laughed at his interactions with Laila.

This film is short, under 90 minutes long. The script and cinematography are exquisite (take a look at the trailer below to get a taste). Adan is played by Barkhad Abdirahman, who you may have seen in Captain Phillips or the TV series Fargo. I hope to see more of him.

Notes: There have been a lot of films about dogs with the word “stray” in them recently, including The Stray (2017) and Stray (2020). Maybe if you accidentally watch one of those, you’ll stray across something good (sorry, couldn’t resist), but if you want to watch this one, you’re looking for A Stray (2016).

Also, while the film is not rated by the MPAA, I don’t think of it as a family film. You’d have to read subtitles to a young child whenever someone was speaking in Somali, and you’d have to explain a lot as you went along. I’d recommend it for ages 11 and up, though of course, every child is different.