Straight Story
The rural space in The Straight Story offers some revelation and self realization in similar ways to Thelma and Louise. The open rural area isn't confined. It isn't oppressive, constrained, or privy to societal terms. In the rural space, it is just Alvin, his thoughts, and his companions. In Set it Off, we see the women succumbing to the urban landscape. It has an oppressive feel, and doesn't allow for any means of escape. Except the person who DOES escape, makes it to rural Mexico. In Woman On a Motorcycle and Easy Rider, we see the rural space as a place for thought. Alvin definitely has plenty of time for thought, but unlike WOAM, these thoughts don't seem to be counter productive. Alvin's journal is the most positive, revealing, and cathartic of the road films, except possibly for Little Miss Sunshine, which doesn't always stay in the realm of the rural. Alvin is allowed to grieve, change, and forgive himself.