Train Dreams (2025) Review

Sometimes it is the simplest of stories that have the greatest impact; a snapshot of life at a specific point in time, an inside look into a world beyond that which we know ourselves but is the norm for another. Based on Denis Johnson’s novella, which I have regrettably not read, and directed by Clint Bentley, Train Dreams is one such story.

Staring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, Train Dreams is a moving story of logger and railway worker Robert Grainer during early 20th Century America.

Robert (Edgerton) grew-up an orphan and takes on the lonely effects of his upbringing with a sense of stoic acceptance but, beneath it all, his water’s run deep, hiding a gentle man to all, except for Gladys (Jones), his wife, whom he adores and almost cannot believe loves him back with the same sense of adoration.

Our introduction to Robert, Gladys and their child act as a golden-hued promise of life in its simplicity; land, a home, love, earth and water around you. Tree’s tall in a blue sky, the dark wood of a cabin built by your own hands, the smell of a burning fire, conversations by candlelight with your beloved.

Beyond that, Robert’s work life, the almost nomad existence he lives following the money, is a steadfast presence that pulls him away from time spent with his wife and daughter.

Alongside Bentley, cinematographer Adolpho Velos create a visually splendid film, making the very most of the various stunning locations wherein which Train Dreams was filmed, mostly within the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest of America.

There is a real sense of romanticism in the shots of the natural splendour. I don’t know how you can look at trees, so high and mighty, and humble, and not find yourself falling in love.

The look of them alone is romantic to me, and while logging involves the cutting down of such beautiful forestry, there is a handsomeness to the work, the labour, the back and forth of saw, the counting of rings inside the trunk’s of trees. There is a brotherhood to be found in the groups of men that find themselves meeting again and again amongst the boots and axes, a respect towards that which they're cutting down.

However, Robert is haunted by an early experience of being witness to the murder of a Chinese immigrant, leaving him to question his own participation in the absence of action. He begins to worry that the work, the distance from his family, the act of sawing down that which has stood on this earth far longer than he, will come to turn on him and so when disaster strikes his life like violent lightening, it is easy for him to blame himself.

Tragedy comes for all of us, in one way or another, and if we’re determined enough then we will find a way to make it our fault. We’ll make it a personal punishment, find a way to justify it, rather than accepting the equally daunting concept that we have no real control over what happens to us.

Joel Edgerton, who is, in my opinion, an underrated actor, gives a very gentle yet impactful performance as Robert. There is an on-going sense of vulnerability to his portrayal that feels inherently human, a reflection of genuine masculinity for the time, a man that simply wants to provide for and love his family.

His performance very much feels like an introspective character study and Robert is a man that lives within the margins of his own mind, that which haunts him and motivates him, and Bentley uses a voice over narration to help audiences gain an intimate insight into a man of few words.

Train Dreams is an intimate and heartbreaking story of love and loss, and navigating a life that feels as if its moving on without you. With honey-hued compositions and an array of visual highlights, Train Dreams is a beautiful viewing experience.

While I dont want to spoil any specifics, I have to say, the final shot is what the inside of my mind looks like, it’s what life beyond that which we know looks like to me, and it spoke to me so intimately.