Not a fast-paced film by any means, but a film full of detail and strong acting, train dreams Weaves one man’s life through the rapidly changing American West in the early 20th century.
Based on Dennis Johnson’s 2011 novel of the same name, it is a steady, meditative and sometimes devastating journey with many conversations taking place around the fire. train dreams sees sing Sing Collaborators Greg Quader and Clint Bentley reunite again – this time with Bentley in the director’s chair – to explore the delicate themes of love and loss amid this fading frontier that sits on the cusp of industrialization. It’s at times a slow-moving, somber film, at times a historical essay, and it won’t be easy for everyone.
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However, the real heart of this moving film is Joel Edgerton’s subtle, sensitive performance, steeped in Bryce Dessner’s subtle score and Adolfo Veloso’s stunning cinematography, and finished with Nick Cave’s unmistakable sense of humor.
What is train dreams About this?
Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones in “Train Dreams”.
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Starting from 1917 to 1968, train dreams Follows man’s search for meaning at the turn of the 20th century. The days of the Wild West are over. The American border is changing. And Edgerton leads the way as devoted family man and staunch railroad worker Robert Grenier, who works for the Spokane International Railway in Idaho. He forms a momentary bond with his fellow woodcutter and the pine tree for home. He is a man plagued by guilt for his involvement in witnessing the racist murder of Chinese immigrant worker Fu Sheng (Alfred Hsing) while on the job at the railroad, always haunted by memories. Here, the screenplay differs from the novel: in the latter, Robert physically helps the worker to a high bridge, but in the film, Robert does not intervene.
Despite this shockingly sudden event, the film spends most of its time exploring Robert’s life. After a brief courtship with his future wife Gladys Olding (Felicity Jones) in the small village of Meadow Creek, Robert builds a simple, pleasant home with her amid fields of wild flowers and next to a babbling stream. The pair map out their single-room cabin with river stones and soon welcome the arrival of their daughter, Kate. It’s an intensely romantic existence, one home to almost-saccharine montages and Dessner’s tender score, and one Robert yearns for as he wanders for months on dangerous rail-construction projects. Both Johnson’s novel and Bentley’s film emphasize the dangers of the job, with injury or death from felling giant trees a common workplace risk for 20th-century loggers. Veloso’s POV shots of the fall of these ancient giants prove this point, and several scenes show just how risky this business of plundering the natural landscape was.
At one tragic point, in a devastatingly shot and acted sequence, Robert’s world is turned upside down forever. He is desperate to find meaning in all this, feeling obsolete and hoping that “there will be a great revelation about his life.” Edgerton delivers a gritty, raw performance – and whatever happens, we’re not mad that he’s surrounded by fluffy stray puppies for a large portion of the movie. While giving Edgerton’s character space for deep conversation and reflection, Bentley and Quader expand the characters from Johnson’s book, including Robert’s friend Ignatius Jack (a wonderful Nathaniel Arcand), a Kootenai store owner who helps him rebuild, and Forest Service worker Claire (Kerry Condon), who joins Robert on the track.
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train dreams A journey into solitude and American history.
Joel Edgerton in “Train Dreams”.
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Although this is not necessarily a history lesson, train dreams Meanders subtly through the stories of the American West and where these anonymous railwaymen fit within it. Through an omniscient narrator (voiced by Will Patton) and conversations between the characters, the script pieces together the past. As in Johnson’s novel, mentions of the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and World War I come up naturally. Here, in particular, William H. Macy is a highlight as harmonica-playing explosives expert and “traitor of unknown origin” Ern Peoples, who befriends Robert. As in the novel, Arne’s character is most reflective on American history, lamenting his young peers’ disconnection from it.
Like Arne, Patton’s narration also has a certain Dada-like energy, in that he describes locomotive mechanics, the construction of the Robinson Gorge Bridge, and “the cost of progress” in the same tone as he describes Robert’s existential crisis. Nonetheless, it gives the film a solid emotional stability. Additionally, his narration gives the film’s present an awareness of the future, as we learn what things will be like.
William H. Macy in “Train Dreams”.
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
train dreams There is also an effort to capture a distinctive tension between tradition and modernity through the work of production designer Alexandra Scoular. From the handmade elements of Granier’s cabin to the changing technology of logging sites to rudimentary tools to machinery, Schaller’s team has created a detailed picture of life in the American West from the early to mid-century. But there is one important element that draws all the elements train dreams Together.
Simmering Engine of train dreams Bryce Dessner has the score.
Joel Edgerton and Kerry Condon in “Train Dreams”.
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Adding to his acclaimed list of modern film scores Evil spirit To we live in timeThe National’s Bryce Dessner once again demonstrates his atmospheric musicianship skills train dreamsAt once a whimsical, romantic ode to potential and a hypnotic, reflective accompaniment to loss, Dessner’s score drives the emotional engine, train dreamsEdgerton’s Robert is particularly stoic and internal in his emotions, allowing Dessner to draw out the brilliant subtleties of his performance, Meanwhile, it’s the perfect companion to Robert K, Veloso’s gorgeous shots surrounded by the beauty and history of the American wilderness, an Idaho landscape steeped in history,
Worth lingering over the film’s end credits, Dessner teams up with the always-iconic Nick Cave (no stranger to lyrical explorations of love and loss) for the haunting original song “Train Dreams.” This reflective song essentially encapsulates the film’s narrative and emotional tone in just a few minutes, making for an excellent conclusion to the film.
train dreams Take your time to enjoy conversations about grief, loss, feeling obsolete, and being overwhelmed by both nature and modernity. This slow pace can feel a little jarring at times, but Edgerton’s performance, Dessner’s score, and Veloso’s balance of handheld and still photography kept me along for the ride.
train dreams Reviewed outside the BFI London Film Festival. The film will be released in select US theaters on November 7 before streaming on Netflix worldwide on November 21.
Updated: November 20, 2025, 2:40 PM EST This review was first published as part of Mashable’s BFI coverage on October 25, 2025. It has been updated in anticipation of its streaming debut.