The Straight Story
It was clear in the beginning that the rural area operates as a space for actualization, realization, and revelation, in other ways that we have not seen in the other road films during the course. The Straight Story is very different from other road films in this course. In most of these films we see a struggle of money somewhere in the plot. It was filled with many scenes with different people Alvin helps out, and the people that help him, but the difference is that this story line was not packed with fast happening drama. It was not as fast happening scenes like in Easy Rider, Thelma & Louise, or Set it Off. Instead, it showed a different slower side in developing the plot.
Alvin goes on the road for 6 weeks on his lawn mower, with that he has revelations while other characters in the film he helps out also reveals to the audiences not take life for granted because there are others that may be having greater difficulty in the rural life. While in the film, Thelma & Louise, it showed that these women left their homes with the help of each other through their trip only and just living life. Alvin, realizing on his brother's shock of his stroke makes him understand clearly to make things better with his brother, Lyle. As for, Set it Off, the characters in this urban community seems to not have an understanding in the end and end up making the wrong decision when they choose to rob one more bank. The actualization of this film was that Alvin showed the characteristics of the rural community going from Iowa's rural area to Wisconsin's rural area, as most of the other films in this class did not show this community.