What Audience's Feel from David Lynch's The Straight Story is Something Completely Different but not Unwelcome
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Dreamlike in every sense of a David Lynch film. Yet somehow, his 1999 film The Straight Story presents itself as the furthest from typical or expected. For those who know David Lynch and his works, no matter how much you end up loving his films, you are always left flabbergasted. Complete confusion and disarray as Lynch leaves you questioning what you just witnessed. With The Straight Story, however, he has changed the way in which his film leaves the viewers in the end. It is something so completely different that it somehow remains Lynchian at heart.
There is nothing more wholesome than a single person’s seemingly simple journey that represents so much more. Not only is The Straight Story an account of the real Alvin Straight’s trek to find his brother. But it is a tale that shares the idea of how determination goes such a long way.
Elderly war veteran and retired farmer Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) falls to the floor one day. The news from the doctor is not entirely what he wanted to hear. Then so suddenly after this, he receives news that his estranged brother has suffered a stroke. Of course, with two things of this nature occurring so close together, he sets out on an adventure to see his brother again and make amends before they die. Unable to have a driver’s licence due to medical conditions, he journeys over 240 miles by lawnmower.
In what world would you ever imagine somebody making a cross country trip on a lawnmower? The answer is in none other than the worlds David Lynch creates in his films. Then because of what we know about the iconic director, we are left wondering when something dreamlike or illusional will occur in The Straight Story. Always on the lookout for what will change, or what will leave us marvelling at what we just saw.
Not only does Lynch craft a compelling and beautiful story, he knows what he needs in his cast to truly represent each character. Whether it be both Richard Farnsworth’s casting as Alvin Straight, or Sissy Spacek as Alvin’s daughter Rose; from main character to supporting cast, everyone is essential to the film’s success. From James Cada's comforting and friendly stranger, Danny Riordan, to Harry Dean Stanton's brief appearance as Alvin’s brother Lyle, everyone adds heart and soul to this retelling of a passionate tale.
Add in the all true fact that Farnsworth himself was dying when he took the role of Alvin Straight, it all creates something much more magical. While the role did almost end his career, the passion and honesty Farnsworth was able to bring to the character from his own experience allows such a different interpretation of Alvin to come out. As Alvin makes his journey across the United States, we see it on his face every time someone he meets on the way touches him in a loving and memorable fashion. As a member of the audience, we cannot help but feel the emotions Alvin goes through.
Once again, we perhaps believe and see how un-Lynchian The Straight Story may be, but in fact, it is such a deeper insight into Lynch and his emotions than we may give him credit for. As with every Lynch film, audiences are left in wonder. The same can be said for The Straight Story but with a change of morals. Here we witness an older gentleman’s journey of regret, experience and perhaps even destiny. Lynch, no matter what genre his film is in, constantly focuses on rural America in a sense. And once again, The Straight Story is no different. The weirdos you see out in the streets of other Lynch films, such as Blue Velvet (1986) or Mulholland Drive (2001), still remain in The Straight Story yet they have a duller aesthetic and somehow are more friendly. Every element included in his least-Lynchian film takes typical Lynch tropes and aesthetics and flips them directly on their heads.
Perhaps the calmest Lynch film to rewatch after the director’s tragic passing last year. It brings you closer to him on a more emotional and empathetic level. Lynch always was, and forever will be a firm believer of how film and the art form are unique and powerful; a form of language that is able to convey such abstract emotions and ideas that simple words could not do. This comes across so clearly in each of his films, and The Straight Story is no different.
Almost a year after his passing, being that of January 15, 2025, the British Film Institute has opened their January season as a tribute to the brilliant director. This film as well as newly made documentaries about Lynch himself, Welcome to Lynchland (Ghez, 2025), the BFI has curated a wondrous world to praise and remember the genius. IMAX, digital, 4K restorations, introductions, and even events, they have everything to remind the world all that David Lynch accomplished and left behind.
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