A Stray

For other uses, see Stray (disambiguation).

A Stray is a 2016 American drama film starring Barkhad Abdirahman.^[2][3][4][5]

A Stray
Directed by	Musa Syeed
Written by	Musa Syeed
Produced by	Jamila Wignot
Starring	Barkhad Abdirahman
Cinematography	Yoni Brook
Edited by	Kamau Bilal Ray Hubley
Production company	Vilcek Foundation
Release date	March 14, 2016 (2016-03-14) (South by Southwest)[1]
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Somali

Plot

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,^[6] especially in Somali culture. The film explores loneliness and belonging with intimate shots of Minneapolis seen through the eyes of a downtrodden Somali immigrant.

Cast

• Barkhad Abdirahman as Adan
• Christina Baldwin
• Ifrah Mansour
• Faysal Ahmed
• Fathia Absie
• Ismael Abdullahi

Reception

The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[7] Omer M. Mozaffar of RogerEbert.com awarded the film four stars.^[8] Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press awarded it three and a half stars.^[9] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film three and a half stars out of four.^[10]

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.^[11]