'Train Dreams' review: Joel Edgerton gets derailed in Clint Bentley's period drama

Netflix

All cinemagoers aboard, please. Also, have your tickets ready because we're travelling to Idaho and Washington, USA, in the early 1900s; the former state is definitely real and not a work of fiction. Adapted for the screen by Clint Bentley—who also directs— and Greg Kwedar from a novella of the same name by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton). Robert is a logger who plays a very tiny part in helping to reshape America as the country heads towards modernism. Existing simply as a guy among other guys, he meets his eventual wife Gladys (Felicity Jones), they welcome a daughter named Kate, and they build a cosy cabin to live in. Facing a shortage of job opportunities, Robert starts working as a railroad worker far from home in order to support the family, until one day an unimaginable tragedy transforms the very place he calls home.

Bentley turns up as a gambling man, putting his chips on narration, which precedes images and characters. In film, this tends to be your classic 50-50 gamble: voiceover is sometimes a crutch that overexplains everything to a viewer, and sometimes good writers turn it into a texture that says things in a more eloquent way than a character can. If executed correctly, it comes in and out just when the moment calls for it. The latter is the case here as Will Patton's tranquil narration makes you wish that he narrated your life. It helps with transitions, too, although Parker Laramie's editing is already on solid ground and you're never confused about the passage of time. More importantly, Patton's work accentuates Robert's inner life, from love to turmoil, from feeling connected to living with sorrow.

Edgerton's sincere portrayal further develops all of these emotions and movements within this character. The actor makes this subdued man speak loudly with his eyes and demeanour, both when he fails as a human being and when he succeeds in expressing affection towards his loved ones. In that vein, the supporting players are as impactful as Edgerton. Kerry Condon (as Claire, a forestry worker), Nathaniel Arcand (Ignatius Jack, Robert's friend) and William H. Macy (Arn Peeples, Robert's older colleague) add plenty of personality into the mix, enriching even the shortest, most simple scenes with their presence. Nothing seems easier than appreciating the tremendous acting on display here.

There's also great beauty in the way that every character changes Robert in some way, whether that is a victim of a terrible hate crime who unlocks a huge amount of regret and complicity in him, or the aforementioned forestry worker who inspires him to open up again. These interactions showcase Bentley and Kwedar's wonderful dialogue, which oftentimes reveals just enough but leaves enough room for the scenes to breathe and find their own rhythm. Sure, it is a little bit poetic at times, but when performed so earnestly, both the text and subtext have a chance to flourish.

It feels a bit too simple to say that this is a story about life, but it truly is just about life and either being present or feeling too isolated to be really present. New perspectives and vantage points come into play as well as Robert comes into terms with his contributions, missteps and, ultimately, his legacy. Did he do much? Did he do enough? Did he live enough? Did he love enough?

Lastly, it's easy to live and move with these characters when the movie looks and sounds absolutely impeccable. Adolpho Veloso's cinematography stuns with its wonder, intimacy and embrace of light as every single colour, face and earthly element on the screen pops. Maybe miracles are real since not even a streaming service's merciless compression is able to suck the life out of this one. And since we're just living life out here, that would've been a death sentence. Filling those frames with their own textures are Malgosia Turzanska's lovely costume design, Alexandra Schaller's handsome production design and even some quietly impressive VFX (supervised by Ilia Mokhtareizadeh). Man, movies are beautiful sometimes.

After all is said and done, Train Dreams is very much worth the ticket price. You'll have a subtle yet touching story, gorgeous photography and brilliant acting to enjoy along the way. Dream away, dream away.

Smileys: Cinematography, acting, dialogue, narration

Frowneys: Tone

You actually need to log in every time you wish to enter the family cabin.

4.5/5

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