The Straight story

Richard Farnsworth is Alvin, a poor World War II veteran who, when hearing his estranged brother has suffered a stroke, decides to travel across the American mid-West to visit him. Alvin is a reformed alcoholic who feels heavily the guilt of what his alcoholism cost his wife and family. A magical road movie about human failure and human community, “The Straight Story” sees David Lynch forgo his usually dark and perverse examination of the libido and repression to instead concentrate on a story about human compassion and forgiveness. Lynch’s remarkably restrained direction allows the dignity of the story to come through without sliding into sentimentality. In this he his assisted by an excellent production staff that includes cinematographer Freddie Francis, production designer Jack Fisk, and editor Mary Sweeney. In “The Straight Story”, Lynch celebrates the rugged individualism of traditional rural American heroes, as represented by Western icon Farnsworth, but subversively suggests that this individualism must be tempered by the communal strengths of family, community and friendship. It may be a symptom of the degeneration of such values in contemporary Hollywood that Lynch had to rely on French and English money to finance this gentle and poetic road movie. Also features Harry Dean Stanton, and Sissy Spacek in a moving performance as Alvin’s daughter. Music by long term Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti.