The Straight Story (1999)
Directed by David Lynch
When his estranged brother has a stroke, elderly Alvin Straight, unable to drive, rides a lawn tractor at walking pace from Laurens, Iowa, across the Mississippi to Mount Zion, Wisconsin.
- Travel shown
- On foot, bike, skis or swimming
- Not shown on screen
- Fictional place
- 1Alvin's house≈ 00:03:00Laurens, IowaStated on screen
After a fall and news of Lyle's stroke, Alvin fixes up a mower and trailer; when the first one dies he buys a used John Deere and sets off again.
- 2Roadside camp with the runaway≈ 00:30:00IowaInferred
He shares a campfire with a pregnant teenage runaway and talks about family.
- 3Cyclists' campsite≈ 00:40:00IowaInferred
A crowd of long-distance cyclists invite him into their camp and ask him about growing old.
- 4Danny's yard and repair shop≈ 00:50:00Clermont, IowaInferred
His brakes fail down a steep hill; he camps in a local's yard while the tractor is repaired and swaps war stories with another veteran.
- 5Marquette–Joliet Bridge, Mississippi River≈ 01:25:00Inferred
- 6Cemetery near Mount Zion≈ 01:30:00Mount Zion, WisconsinInferred
- 7Lyle's house≈ 01:40:00Mount Zion, WisconsinStated on screen
The journey in numbers
- Distance travelled
- 404 km
- Places
- 5
- Countries
- 1
- Stops
- 7
- Car: 404 km
Distances are measured in a straight line between stops, so real road distances are longer.
Spotted a mistake?
Every journey is checked against the film, but we can still get things wrong.