The Rural Road
Throughout the semester films the road films watched in this class have been mostly about escaping something. The main characters of the films are leaving their dreadful lives in hopes for an improvement. In The Straight Story, Alvin Straight isn’t leaving a scenario that he dreads, rather is trying to make peace with his brother. Instead of leaving behind his past, he is moving forward and learning and trying to understand it. If we compare The Straight Story to Searching for Angela Shelton, you can see how much these road films vary. Angela Shelton is looking to seek peace through her journey. She is trying to leave her unwanted past behind her and move on, with help from others. Alvin Straight is trying to take responsibility of the past. He isn’t trying to escape his lifestyle, or his culture. He is trying to make things okay with his brother before it is too late. The rural road used is definitely different than other movies we have seen. The people that Alvin meets on the rural road are usually quite similar. They are small town, friendly, and willing to help out Alvin. They are very similar to the people that he knows in his own hometown. In other films like Priscilla, and Vagabond, we can see that they leave their own culture and meet very new and different people from themselves. The rural road shows that Alvin is not trying to leave his lifestyle. It shows that he is not trying to find something new. The rural road shows that Alvin has realized what he has done in his past is wrong and wants to take responsibility for it. In other films, such as Girl on a Motorcycle, the “girl” blames her husband for many things, doesn’t take responsibility for much and doesn’t realize the harm she is doing by her actions. Alvin Straight uses this road, as a means to find his brother. Through his new friends he meets on the road and new experience in other rural, yet similar areas he travels he realizes his journey is about himself and his brother. He uses the rural road as a common space to learn and become the responsible and passionate man that he is.