The story of a 73 year old man who travels across the country on a lawnmower in order to see his brother and restore their relationship. No more than one minute into this film a strange thing happens.
Words appear on the screen that at first appear incongruous, misplaced and downright bizarre.
But then an interesting thing happens as you quickly forget that the director who gave us the frightening Blue Velvet is also the same director whose gentle vision is at the heart of The Straight Story , a film about regret, family, the human spirit and, ultimately, forgiveness. The film is the true story of Alvin Straight and his journey from Iowa to Wisconsin to see a brother he hasn t spoken with in ten years. Without a driver s license, but determined nonetheless, Straight decides that his best mode of transportation is his lawnmower. So, he leaves his daughter behind, stocks up on gasoline, hotdogs and blankets, and sets out on a journey across the heart of America in order to help repair the past. Quite simply, The Straight Story is a wonderful piece of minimalist filmmaking which proves the point that there is sometimes more expressed in a look, or a glance, or a movement than in any bit of dialogue.