Clara Scott lives in Buffalo, New York with her two sons, Anthony and Jude. Having endured an abusive marriage to her husband Richard, a police officer, Clara flees to New York City, taking Anthony and Jude with her under the guise of a "vacation"
In New York, Clara and the boys struggle with homelessness, often driving around in their car or relying on shoplifting to survive on the streets. They are eventually taken in by a nurse, Alice, who runs a local church and support group. Alice is a vocal supporter of homeless people, having befriended a boy named Jeff who had been fired from various employments before being evicted from his apartment.
During the night, a disoriented Jude collapses in the middle of a snowstorm storm, forcing him to be hospitalized. Clara is later taken in by ex-convict Marc, whom Anthony is hostile towards but eventually warms up to him. As it turns out, Anthony had uncovered a series of explicit crimes against women committed by Richard on his computer. With Marc's help, Clara hires a lawyer and Marc's friend John Peter to incriminate Richard. Meanwhile, Richard beats his father with a phone when he refuses to help him. Richard is later found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Despite having finally returned home, Jude's relationship with his mother is strained due to their time on the streets but eventually forgives her. As the film ends, Jeff is able to secure a job at a restaurant run by Marc's employer Timofrey.
According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 31% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A talented onscreen ensemble is done no favors by The Kindness of Strangers, which searches for meaning and comes up empty."[11]Metacritic reports a score of 32 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12]
