film : The Straight Story

I love watching films. Genre doesn't matter at all if it's good one. Science fiction, love story, thriller, whatever. But I guess stories about a family and road movies are my weak point. And The Straight Story is one of my favorites.

The following trailer itself tells everything about it. This is a elderly man's journey to meet his ill brother. The unique thing is that he travels across states on a lawnmower. Some people told me that it's too slow, but you know, when the main character is elderly man and he travels on a lawnmower, what can we expect?? I'm kidding, but for me it is absolutely heartwarming.



It is based on a true story and "Straight" is the surname of that elderly man, called Alvin Straight. That word is very suitable and deserved for him, as much as for the film. Straight. They get to the point.

And just a... curiosity: there's a script in this film which is familiar to Japanese people. It's when Alvin tells teenage girl:

When my kids were young I played a
game with them. I'd give each of them
a stick. One for each of 'em, and I'd tell
them to break it. They'd do that easy.
Then I'd tell them to make one bundle
of all the sticks and try to break that. A
course they couldn't. I used to say that
was family, that bundle.

It is like a story which told Mōri Motonari, who was a personage of Japanese history, in 16th century. OK, and this is one famous story about him (reference/wikipedia):

He had three sons whom he encouraged
to work together for the benefit of the Mori
clan. In one instance, he is said to have
handed each of his sons an arrow and
asking each snap it. After each snapped
an arrow, he produced three arrows and
asked them to snap them. Unable to snap
them, Motonari told how one arrow could
be broken easily but three arrows could not.

That's so similar!! Maybe the source or origin is the same...

Anyway check those films if you have a chance!