If you read the synopsis for The Straight Story the last person you would think of as the director would probably be David Lynch. Best known for his nightmarish exercises in subconscious horrors exploring the fractured psyches of his characters, a literally straight story of an old man traveling across America on his tractor to visit his estranged dying brother is a far cry from typically Lynchian cinema. But overlooking The Straight Story would be to do Lynch a great disservice. Lynch proves more than capable of casting a tender look at old age, and the film - based on the true story of Alvin Straight - is made all the more emotional on account of the central performance by former stuntman Richard Farnsworth, who during the shoot was himself dying from bone cancer. The following year Farnsworth committed suicide. Lynch's first - and possibly only - foray into sentimentality is a graceful work of cinema with wonderful cinematography and a pace which reminds you of a lazy summer's evening sipping beers with good friends - a charming and warm film and something of a minor masterpiece.
