The Straight Story
1999 · Directed by David Lynch
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a severe stroke. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
What it’s like
Wide, patient landscapes do most of the work here: long static shots of flat Iowa and Wisconsin farmland under open sky, grain fields rolling past at the pace of a lawnmower, and interiors lit by plain window light and kitchen lamps. The palette is warm and faded, with golden-hour amber, dusty greens and the soft greys of rural winter, and the camera holds back so that the empty roads and hushed towns feel like places to sit inside rather than scenes to hurry through. Sound is minimal and natural (wind through corn, the drone of a small engine, distant birds) with Angelo Badalamenti's sparse, wistful score entering only at key moments. The vibe is gentle melancholy with a quiet, dry humour, and the pacing is unhurried, suited to a slow Sunday afternoon, a long drive, or a comfort rewatch. Emotionally it follows an elderly man's stubborn, plainspoken journey toward reconciling with a brother, a slow thaw of old grievance into tenderness. The intensity is very low: no violence, no sexual content, and only mild peril and a brief moment of sadness. It suits viewers who want something gentle, humane and meditative, and who appreciate quiet character study.
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