Train Dreams Review: Joel Edgerton’s Western Drama Is Stunning To Behold & Yet I Just Couldn’t Fall In Love With It

Train Dreams
requires patience. It’s a slow, meandering yet intimate exploration of the American West in the early the 20th century. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Terrence Malick, director Clint Bentley adapts the screenplay (with co-writer Greg Kwedar) from Denis Johnson’s novel. The film is visually gorgeous, with some of the best cinematography at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and while I appreciated its introspection, it’s far too drawn out and aimless. I wanted to love the historical drama but its philosophical musings can only take the film so far.

Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is a humble logger who spends time with his wife Gladys (Felicity Jones) and daughter Kate in his off-season. The narration by Will Patton tells us that Grainier worked on the train project and that it was something he’d never do again after a Chinese immigrant is thrown over a bridge by bigots. This haunts Grainier and he believes the bad things happening to him are due to his failure to help the man who was killed. The film spans a few decades as Grainier goes through life, its tragedies, and happier moments.

Train Dreams Is Adrift In An Overlong Story

There’s so much to like about Train Dreams. Its cinematography, by Adolpho Veloso, is utterly breathtaking. The film spends much of its time outside and takes advantage of nature’s splendor — its majestic forests and calm riversides. Grainier finds himself drawn to it, gazing at the night sky or walking through the woods. He never says much but he’s always looking for purpose in his life, though it only ever comes once. That revelation, that the aimlessness Grainier feels never lets up, is powerful. So many movies tell us there’s meaning in everything, but Train Dreams isn’t so quick to follow that same path.

The film is perhaps more in tune with nature and the land than its characters, who are merely passing through. Bentley’s film is a love letter to the people who are forgotten despite having dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears to logging, but it asserts that, while what happens to the earth because of humans has consequences, there’s not always a rhyme or reason to things. Grainier wanting to blame his life’s tragedies on being cursed is a way to give the bad stuff a reason before returning to wandering.

However, this is also where the film falters, as it focuses on his guilt for a good stretch of the film while the nameless man who haunts his dreams embodies the silent Asian trope. The narration isn’t grating and it’s quite lovely at times, giving us just enough without overexplaining. But the overall lack of dialogue in an overlong film forces our attention to wane. There is only so much Edgerton can do — and he does quite a lot in a role that demands his all — to maintain our interest. The philosophical elements of the film can be powerful, especially in the moments of Grainier’s great pain, but the film’s biggest tragedy happens too soon and leaves us stranded in a narrative that sometimes feels as lost as Edgerton’s protagonist.

Joel Edgerton Steals The Show In Train Dreams

The Actor Gives A Nuanced Performance

Edgerton is fantastic as Grainier. He’s believable as a logger who’s been worn down by time, heartbreak, and working such a strenuous job. He’s okay to get by because he’s accepted this is his life, but he’d much rather be at home with his wife and child. The actor layers his performance with a deep sense of weariness and quiet meditation, happiness and despair. Being a logger takes its toll and Edgerton’s physicality complements the grisly aspect and hardship of Grainier’s work. In a largely quiet role, Edgerton must convey everything through his face and body language and he’s captivating.

Jones is also breathtaking as Gladys. She’s more assertive than Edgerton’s character and portrays a poised, loving woman and mother who helps to make ends meet. She and Edgerton are lovely together. Supporting players like William H. Macy, whose appearance is brief but affecting, help to flesh out the world of Train Dreams and Grainier’s story. At times, the movie is deeply compelling, but its complexities can get lost in the shuffle and repetition of the same points. Striking cinematography and philosophical reflections can’t make up for this too-slow film that pokes at life’s meaningful moments without inspecting them further.

Train Dreams premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Train Dreams

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Runtime

102 Minutes

Director

Clint Bentley

Writers

Greg Kwedar

Producers

Casey Affleck, Marissa McMahon, Will Janowitz, Scott Hinckley, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg

Pros & Cons

• Joel Edgerton gives a nuanced performance
• The film is visually stunning

• Train Dreams can be too slow, getting lost in its own musings
• Interest in the narrative wanes as it becomes repetitive