The Straight Story
Cinema has recently lost one of its giants. Mesmerizing, captivating, and unsettling, David Lynch’s singular creative world will continue to haunt us. As a visceral way to immerse yourself in his work on the big screen, this program invites you to revisit three of his major films in 35 mm.
Winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for Richard Farnsworth in 2000
Preserved in our collections
Based on a true story lived by Alvin Straight, The Straight Story tells the adventures of an old man who sets out to find his brother at the wheel of his lawnmower. As he travels from Iowa to Wisconsin, parts of his life are revealed as he meets new people.
David Lynch
David Lynch was an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and visual artist. Between 1977 and 2006, he directed ten feature films, as well as the cult TV series Twin Peaks, originally aired in 1990-91 and later revived in 2017. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001), he won the Palme d'or at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival for Wild at Heart, and received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival in 2006, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2019. Renowned for his innovative and surrealist style—often described as "Lynchian"—he captivated audiences and critics alike with his dreamlike imagery and meticulous sound design. The often violent and unsettling nature of his films earnd him a reputation for "disturbing, offending, or mystifying" viewers. Lynch's work explores the dark, hallucinatory undercurrents beneath the polished surface of society, whether in small-town America (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks) ot Los Angeles (Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive). Beyond filmmaking, Lynch has pursued diverse artistic ventures, establishing himself as a painter, photographer, musician, designer, and web video artist.
Photo: Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
