`STRAIGHT STORY' CUTS TO HEART OF AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

A quiet masterpiece of a movie, ``The Straight Story'' is a quintessential American tale about a stubborn old man trying to make peace with his brother and his own mortality. And despite its G-rating and paucity of severed limbs and sexual shenanigans, it's also a David Lynch movie to its core, full of a hauntingly beautiful imagery, resonant sounds and a subtle, yet singular sense of humanity.

The film, which is based on a true story, also contains the performance of the year, a remarkable turn by 79-year-old Richard Farnsworth, a man able to convey more emotion through his eyes than most actors can with a lengthy monologue. Farnsworth, familiar to most through ``The Grey Fox'' and supporting roles in ``Comes a Horseman'' and ``The Natural,'' possesses a grace and dignity rarely seen in American film, and Lynch makes good uses of those qualities here. Whatever he says seems to come from a place deep in his heart - every word rings real.

Farnsworth stars as the film's elderly protagonist, Alvin Straight, a man with two bad hips, failing eyesight and a lifetime of wisdom earned through hard knocks. When Alvin learns that his brother, Lyle, has suffered a stroke, he takes the news hard. The two ``had words'' some years back and have maintained a proud, obstinate distance from each other ever since.

``There's no one knows your life better than a brother that's near your age,'' Alvin says, his words heavy with remorse. ``He knows who you are and what you are better than anyone on Earth.''

Alvin decides to swallow his pride and visit Lyle. Since his poor health prohibits him from driving a car, Alvin elects to make the 300-odd-mile trip from Laurens, Iowa, to Mount Zion, Wis., on his John Deere lawn mower. His slow-witted daughter Rose (delicately played by Sissy Spacek) frets for his safety, and well she should. The road to Mount Zion is loaded with hills and big-rig trucks who don't slow for old men traveling at 5 mph.

Still, this is a journey Alvin must make by himself - and at his own speed. Lynch revels in the deliberate pace, which provides him with ample opportunities to offer a bevy of magnificent vistas - lonely grain silos, golden waves of wheat fields and blazing autumnal landscapes. Lynch also shows a great affection for the plain Midwestern folks Alvin meets along the way. These essentially decent, kind people welcome Alvin, offer their help and receive the priceless gift of his simple sagacity.

``The Straight Story'' could have easily been derailed by cheap sentiment and preciousness, but the screenplay (written by Lynch's longtime editor Mary Sweeney and Jay Roach, both first-timers) maintains a perfect blend of quiet poignancy and profundity. Alvin has seen some tragedy and made some mistakes - after all, he hasn't spoken to his brother for 10 years - and these imperfections render him less of an aged Buddha than a plainspoken old man who has learned some lessons the hard way.

The whole film bears this same mark of sublime restraint. Lynch's efforts are aided immeasurably by his team of longtime collaborators: director of photography Freddie Francis (``The Elephant Man,'' ``Dune''), production designer Jack Fisk and, most indelibly, composer Angelo Badalamenti (``Twin Peaks,'' ``Blue Velvet''), whose score vividly captures the movie's Midwest Americana.

And through it all, appearing in practically every frame, is the extraordinary Farnsworth, filling ``The Straight Story'' with heart-rending, hushed beauty. At one point, Alvin goes to a bar with a fellow World War II veteran. Over a beer, they share intensely personal war stories, memories so full of pain that they could only be told to a stranger. At the end of the scene, the camera pulls back, revealing a bartender standing in the shadows, maintaining a respectful distance but nevertheless transfixed by the story being told.

Lynch turns us into that bartender throughout the movie, giving us private access into the heart and soul of an unforgettable man. It is a story not to be missed.

The facts

The film: ``The Straight Story'' (G).

The stars: Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek.

Behind the scenes: Directed by David Lynch. Screenplay by John Roach and Mary Sweeney. Released by Walt Disney Pictures.

Running time: One hour, 51 minutes.

Playing: AMC Century 14 in Century City; Cineplex Beverly Center in West Hollywood; Pacific's Crest in Westwood.

Our rating: Four stars

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PHOTO Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) drives some 300 miles - at 5 mph - on his mower to visit his estranged brother in ``The Straight Story''