Peacock original Strung strikes a chord
From its opening note to its shocking finale, The Peacock Original, Strung delivers a carefully orchestrated symphony of suspense through expressionless cultural masks, unnerving musical cues, and dark family secrets.
Written by Alan McElroy (Spawn, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers), Strung marks a new venture for director Malcolm D. Lee (Roll Bounce, Girls Trip) into the psychological thriller genre. Lee conducts an ensemble cast led by Chloe Bailey (The Exorcism, Grown-ish), Lynn Whitfield (A Thin Line Between Love and Hate), and Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris, Snatch). Romy Woods (Abbott Elementary), Anna Diop (Nanny, Us), and Coco Jones (Bel-Air) round out the cast. The film is produced by Jason Blum and Tyler Perry.
The story follows Laila Calloway (Bailey), a talented, young violinist with dreams of performing in the Philharmonic, who is hired as a live-in music tutor for the affluent Walker family. After couch surfing and rehearsing in small, cramped spaces, the prospect of teaching music in a luxurious environment - complete with a private quarters and a new hypoallergenic wardrobe (due to her new pupil’s allergies) - is almost too good to be true.
And of course, it is; Laila’s new position quickly evolves into an unexpected plot to which things are not what they appear.
Credit: Peacock
As Laila begins to settle into her new role with her pupil Zuri (Woods), the two begin to bond over music and shared conversations. Zuri, who dons an oversized African warrior mask through most of the film, begins to trust Laila and wears the mask less and less. While the mask comes off, there is no shortage of ominous comments that Zuri makes, which later are revealed to be foreshadowed warnings rather than childish oddities.
Just when everything seems to be going well, the calm is disrupted when Marcus Walker (Laviscount) - the charismatic music producer and patriarch of the Walker household - returns home from a business trip. Laila realizes that Marcus is the same man that she hooked up with a few weeks previously before accepting this new position.
Obviously this makes for an awkward second introduction, as the entire family is gathered around the table for breakfast. Laila makes an agreement with Marcus to continue with her position (for a short time) as to not draw attention to the lady of the house, Imani Walker (Diop), who is pregnant. This arrangement, however, only draws Laila deeper into this increasingly unsettling environment.
Added to this already complicated family dynamic is Audra Jelani (Whitfield), the family’s imposing matriarch, who originally hired Laila and looms with a quiet authority, leaving the audience to question her ultimate motives.
Laila decides to continue her affair with Marcus, which clouds her judgement with guilt and paranoia. Imani’s increasingly fragile emotional and physical state heightens this tension, creating a conflict in which neither woman seems entirely stable.
The sudden appearance of Zuri's estranged grandmother at school brings about lingering questions surrounding the death of Zuri's father, and begins to expose the cracks in the carefully constructed narrative. Buried secrets emerge, and seemingly insignificant details finally begin falling into place.
The cast excels at walking the fine line between composed and unhinged that serves well in psychological thrillers. Their performances leave the audience second guessing each interaction and questioning who can and can’t be trusted.
While Strung touches on familiar genre conventions at times, its strong performances, escalating tension, and well paced plot reveals make for an engaging thriller that keeps audiences invested until its final note.
