David Lynch's new film is The Straight Story, a sweet and disarming tale, based on real-life old-timer Alvin Straight who, in 1994, journeyed from Iowa to Wisconsin to see his brother Lyle and make up an old family feud before they both died.

But without a driving licence, Alvin insists on making the 150-mile trip on a riding mower made by the firm of John Deere: a brand symbolising the robust, hard-working, taciturn decency of the midwest.

The pun in the title invites us, perhaps challenges us, to set aside expectations arising from the Lynch oeuvre, and take this as a plain tale: no frills, no bells or whistles. But there are some detours, notably when Alvin, his tongue loosened by his first beer in decades, tells a stranger an awful story about his experiences in occupied France in the second world war.

This is a simple film of some charm and simplicity, with a grizzled appearance by Harry Dean Stanton, recalling his days in Paris, Texas.