Train Dreams

VIFF REVIEW: BY DARREN ZAKUS

November 10, 2025

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Train Dreams is a stirring, quiet but beautiful reflection on life as Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar adapt Denis Johnson’s novella, that when paired with the gorgeous cinematography capturing the natural wonder of the Pacific Northwest, a terrific musical score from Bryce Dessner and an excellent cast featuring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones and Kerry Condon, makes for one of the year’s most moving films.

Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar made waves with their last film Sing Sing, instantly becoming a critical and awards darling back after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 before opening in theatres in 2024. And before many viewers had the chance to discover Sing Sing, their next film Train Dreams premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival back in January, with the reactions proving that the magic they captured on screen with Sing Sing was not a one off. Adapting Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name, Train Dreams tells the life story of a logger in the Pacific Northwest building railroads across the country, and while it may not have lots of action or excitement, Bentley, Kwedar, their cast and their crew capture something truly human and deeply moving that is without questions one of the most special cinematic experiences of the year.

There is a beauty in the simplicity of the narrative of Train Dreams which chronicles the life logger Robert Grainier in the Pacific Northwest as he builds railroads across the United States. Telling the life of a simple man within an ever changing world as America progresses through the early twentieth century, there is a timeless quality to Robert’s life that makes it impossible to track the year within the story. Bentley and Kwedar’s writing binds the audience to Robert and his lifestyle as a logger and railroad builder, his quaint log cabin on the edge of the river and his life with his wife Gladys, with Will Patton’s narration helping to guide the film and inform the audience of Robert’s internal state with him being a man of few words. The screenplay has a grand sweeping quality to it, even though it tells such a small and intimate story of one man and his life, with a deliberate pacing that lets each scene and idea breathe and become a part of Robert’s life, rather than trying to cram in multiple life events. The pacing, while it may be too slow for the more casual viewers, for those looking for a more artistic and experience of a film who can connect with the emotional wavelength, they are in for one emotional film that will nourish their soul and leave them in breathless awe.

While the narrative is emotional and stirring, it is the technical aspects of Train Dreams that makes it a truly immersive cinematic experience. It is hard to not make a film shot in the Pacific Northwest look gorgeous, with the old growth forests, sunsets and sunrises, rivers and mountains that populate every frame of Bentley’s film. Captured by Adolpho Veloso, there is not a shot of the film that is not absolutely gorgeous in translating that natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest to the big screen, inviting the audience to get lost in the film instantly. When paired with Bryce Dessner’s musical score that is as quiet and grand as Johnson’s story, Bentley captures magic on screen. There is a Terence Malick quality to the film, evoking feelings of The Tree of Life in certain moments, between the pensive tone to the story and the mesmerizing cinematography that lulls viewers into a tranquil state that allows them to be swept away by the beauty and heartbreak of Robert Grainier’s life story. 

Leading the film, and bringing to life the heart of Johnson’s story from start to finish, is Joel Edgerton’s performance as Robert Grainier. With a quiet but soul piercing presence, Edgerton flourishes on screen as the quiet, dependable and caring Robert as he navigates the loss and love over the course of his life. There are so many moments where Edgerton does not have to say a word and his body language emotes everything that the audience needs to feel, which only amplifies the visual magic of Veloso’s cinematography and Bentley’s direction, creating the dreamlike nature of Train Dreams. Felicity Jones is excellent as Robert’s wife Gladys, creating a sentimental connection with Edgerton immediately to capture the joy and wonder that Robert and Gladys share together in life. Despite only having a handful of scenes in the film’s final acts, Kerry Condon is spectacular as Claire Thompson, a park official who moves to the Pacific Northwest and meets Robert. The care and grace she brings to her character, also dealing with a profound loss and the healing moments she shares with Edgerton’s Grainier is one of the film’s most beautiful and moving scenes. And while never seen, Patton’s narration is pitch perfect, effortlessly evoking the tranquility and stillness within Robert and helping to create the film’s powerful and unforgettable final moments. 

Capturing a full life with all the layered emotions that come with loss, love and change, there is something stirring about Train Dreams on a soulful level that is hard to truly capture the beauty of with words. Guiding the film with a tranquility and reflectiveness, Clint Bentley directs a deeply profound and moving experience that is gorgeous to get lost in thanks to the magnificent cinematography of Adolpho Veloso and the amazing natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, that when combined with the terrific lead performance of Joel Edgerton and the strong adaptation by him and his co-writer Greg Kwedar, creates a movie unlike anything else you have seen this year. With a haunting beauty that stirs up emotions within viewers as Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar explore the life of a logger in the Pacific Northwest in a film that engages all the senses with its natural wonders, gorgeous cinematography and stirring musical score, Train Dreams stands out with its earnest emotional take on a simple but full life that not only features one of the strongest lead performances of the year from Joel Edgerton, but is a spectacular film from start to finish.