He was 78, and his love of smoking was not the only thing he shared with Alvin Straight. The Straight Story might seem like a minor film in Lynch’s oeuvre—in the wake of the director’s death, it’s Blue Velvet,

Much like dreams, merely hearing Lynch's work described does not compare to experiencing his movies and TV series firsthand. Unconventional to the end, the director's filmography (plus Twin Peaks, indispensable to his oeuvre) almost always elicits strong responses,

The late director’s unique vision and the love that his persona inspires make it easy to forget how winding his path to greatness was.