| A Stray | |
| Director: | Musa Syeed |
| Producer: | Jamila Wignot |
| Starring: | Barkhad Abdirahman |
| Cinematography: | Yoni Brook |
| Editing: | Kamau Bilal Ray Hubley |
| Studio: | Vilcek Foundation |
| Runtime: | 82 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English Somali |
A Stray is a 2016 American drama film starring Barkhad Abdirahman.[1] [2] [3] [4]
A young Somali man named Adan (played by Barkhad Abdirahman) is kicked out of his home and must survive on the streets of his hometown, Minneapolis. He begrudgingly befriends a stray dog, which brings him companionship. However, it also brings Adan further exile from his family, his friends, and his community, as caring for a dog as a pet may be seen as haram for Muslims,[5] especially in Somali culture. The film explores loneliness and belonging with intimate shots of Minneapolis seen through the eyes of a downtrodden Somali immigrant.
The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[6] Omer M. Mozaffar of RogerEbert.com awarded the film four stars.[7] Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press awarded it three and a half stars.[8] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film three and a half stars out of four.[9]
However, the film received a negative review from Thaddeus McCollum and Cameron Meier of Orlando Weekly; they awarded the film one and a half stars out of five.[10]