Film Review: “Train Dreams”, A Quiet Epic of Timber, Tracks and Tender Grief
The upcoming film Train Dreams, an adaptation of Train Dreams by the late author Denis Johnson, offers a poignant meditation on memory, labour and the American wilderness. Directed by Clint Bentley and starring Joel Edgerton in a commanding, mostly word‑less performance, the film is striking in its visual ambition and emotional restraint.
Set in the early 20th century, the movie follows the life of Robert Grainier (played by Edgerton), an orphan turned itinerant logger working on forest clearances and railroad bridge‑building in the American West. The film paints him as a man of few words but deep interiority: he witnesses and participates in brutal labour, experiences the beauty and fragility of landscape, and builds a family amid the shifting currents of change.
Visually and thematically, “Train Dreams” aligns itself with the contemplative style of Terrence Malick: sweeping sunset compositions, voice‑over reflections, and a sense of the natural world both majestic and indifferent to human striving. The adaptation, scripted by Greg Kwedar, trims or softens some of Johnson’s sharper edges (such as complicity in racial violence) while preserving the core mood of loss and endurance.
Edgerton’s portrayal is particularly notable for its suppressed power: his Grainier seldom speaks, yet conveys a lifetime of yearning, regret and fleeting joy. He meets Gladys (Felicity Jones) and momentarily glimpses domestic happiness, only to be drawn back into his life on the road. The narrative builds toward a reflection on how human lives, even those that seem slow and silent, can echo like the ricochet of a falling tree in the forest.
The supporting cast includes William H. Macy as Arn, a seasoned explosives‑worker, and Paul Schneider as “Apostle Frank”, whose speech and manner contrast with Grainier’s quietude. Their fates underscore the peril and unpredictability of the frontier life the film captures. The Guardian
“Train Dreams” is released in UK cinemas from 7 November and will premiere on Netflix from 21 November.
Verdict: A visually sumptuous, emotionally subtle piece of filmmaking, the film may not shout, but it lingers. For audiences willing to drift into its quiet currents, it offers a deeply felt account of work, love, loss and the unrelenting march of time.