Train Dreams

by Julian Spivey

Photo: Netflix

Director: Clint Bentley
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones & William H. Macy
Rated: PG-13 (some violence & sexuality)
Runtime: 1 hour & 42 minutes

 
Director Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams,” which is streaming on Netflix, left me entranced. It’s not a film that breaks any new ground in the way in which the story is told, but it is a method you don’t see often, and when done beautifully, it has a way of staying with you long after the film has ended.
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It’s more of a lyrical poem than your traditional narrative film in that it doesn’t really stay in one place too long, following Joel Edgerton’s hardworking, everyman Robert Grainier through the hard life of being a logger in Idaho and the surrounding areas in a post-World War I economy. The entire story, which follows much of Grainier’s life – a lot of it tragic in the way the real world can be, especially of that era and profession – is told through beautifully written narration by screenwriters Bentley and Grew Kwedar (based on a novella by Denis Johnson) and spoken by Will Patton’s who’s voice and performance fit the story so perfectly I wondered if a narration performance could potentially be nominated for an Academy Award (of course, it won’t be).

Edgerton is the best he’s ever been – at least from what I’ve seen him in – in the role as Grainier, with the actor’s rugged, stoic face being the perfect features for a man who makes a living with his hands in such a dangerous business. He’s not a man of many words, but he shouldn’t be. He’s supposed to be a stand-in for the great men of the past – the kind that were silent heroes and providers and have mostly fallen by the wayside in a more fast-paced world in the century since. Edgerton is likely a Best Actor Oscar nominee.

All of the other characters come into and out of Grainier’s life, many in loving or important ways, and are quickly and tragically snapped back out of it. While not having a whole lot of screentime, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, Nathaniel Arcand and William H. Macy all leave their marks on the story. Macy is likely a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars, unless some view his screentime as too short for such an honor. He plays an elder logger on Grainier’s logging team and shares a lot of wisdom that you know will never leave the forefront of Grainier’s mind. I saw somebody somewhere say it’s “Macy in his Walter Brennan era,” and I couldn’t agree more.

If you’re looking for something fun and easy to watch, don’t bother with “Train Dreams,” but if you want to see something thought-provoking and crafted in a way that leads film to be an art form, something more than just mindless entertainment, I couldn’t recommend this one more. And, while many complain about feature films on streaming services like Netflix, especially award-worthy fare, I think it’s terrific that more folks will inevitably see “Train Dreams” because it’s easily accessible on Netflix than if the film had only been shown in theaters. Sure, this is the kind of film that would look grand on the big screen, with its naturalistic settings and beautiful wilderness but having more eyes on your project must be a dream for a storyteller.

“Train Dreams” is only Bentley’s second directorial effort, though he was nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year for co-writing “Sing Sing,” with Kwedar (who directed that film), but he looks like one who has a promising future, especially if he continues to co-create with Kwedar.