The Straight Story

In his youth, Alvin Straight was a wild young man with an irrepressible urge to roam. But age has taken its toll. All that remains of his youthful exuberance is a memory, and frailty now dictates the daily rhythm of life in the modest home in Laurens, Iowa, which Alvin shares with his eldest daughter, "Slow" Rose. His old restlessness is reawakened when Alvin learns that his brother has suffered a stroke in Mount Zion, Wisconsin, 500 kilometers away. The two haven't spoken a word to each other since a quarrel ten years ago. Alvin wants to settle the matter and, after a false start on his 1966 John Deere lawn mower, sets off on a journey through the American heartland. He chugs along the Lost Highway, past corn and grain fields, towns, and factories. One evening, a runaway girl joins Alvin's campfire, and he tells her about his family, just as he will later recount his experiences of growing old and his wartime memories. A female driver runs over a deer right before his eyes on an open stretch of road—and confesses, distraught, that this has been happening to her every day for weeks. Alvin panics slightly when the brakes fail on a downhill stretch and the lawn mower accelerates to 50 mph. He manages to make the necessary repairs, and now he has only to cross the Mississippi and face two more exciting encounters before he comes face to face with his brother.