People are nice, the world is a beautiful place and sometimes the simplest things in life can be the most fulfilling. This is the general whiff given off by The Straight Story, David Lynch's most straightforwardly decipherable film to date. Richard Farnsworth plays Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old living with his speech-impaired daughter in Laurens, Iowa. After receiving word that his older brother has suffered a stroke, Alvin feels compelled to visit him. Lacking a driver's licence, and too stubborn to let anyone else take him there, Alvin attempts to make the 240 mile journey to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin on a 30 year old lawnmower. On the way, he meets a variety of strangers, most of whom are just as kind as he is. Whilst many people have pointed out how uncharacteristically simple and sweet this is for a David Lynch movie, his signature is still very much on the film. We get the long takes, brooding mechanical noises and an affecting visual sense. Only this time, they work to create a sense of peace rather than horror.
Review of The Straight Story
