Screening in tribute to David Lynch (1946-2025)
“Farnsworth’s easy, twinkle eyed charm is a winner all the way, but it’s finally the film’s deceptive simplicity and unabashed warmth that make it one of Lynch’s most artistically and emotionally satisfying movies.”
A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) learns one day that his distant brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has suffered a stroke and may not recover. 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. Then he hits on the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
While The Straight Story may seem conventional by David Lynch’s standards, the director called it his “most experimental film” (perhaps with a twinkle in his eye as he did so).
