Train Dreams
Robert Grainier, the central figure of the new film “Train Dreams,” works as a logger in the mountains of upstate Idaho in the early part of the 20th century. During the logging off-season, Robert works with a railroad crew to help lay the tracks that would propel the U.S. into the economical glory years of the 20th century. It is during this railroad work that Robert witnesses the first of several tragedies in his life, when a young Chinese worker is apprehended and killed by some authorities. We never learn the young man’s purported crime, but it doesn’t matter to the progression of the screenplay. What matters is that Robert experiences what he considers to be the unexplained death of someone close to him.
Joel Edgerton
Robert is a calm and stoic man, not given to dialogue, lest it be totally necessary. And who better to play such a protagonist than Joel Edgerton, the man who received a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Richard Loving in the 2016 film “Loving.” That was the drama which related the story of the Loving vs. Virginia case that legalized interracial marriage in the 1960s. In that film, Edgerton flexed his acting muscles not through the long-winded speechifying we experience with some actors, but instead through the strong melancholy of a man who didn’t ask for any attention, but who played along simply because he was very much in love with his wife. Edgerton was great in “Loving.” He is even better in “Train Dreams.”
Narration
Because Robert is not given to conversation, “Train Dreams” features a narrator – the voice of actor Will Patton. Patton’s voice-over fills in some of the background and defines some of Robert’s thoughts. But fortunately, Patton never tells us how to feel. Edgerton accomplishes that task with every glance of his eyes and wrinkle of his forehead. If there were a college course on acting without speaking, Edgerton could teach it.
A tragic life
Early on, Robert falls in love with a young woman named Gladys (another spot-on performance by Felicity Jones). The two of them build their dream home (a log cabin), settle down, and have a beautiful baby daughter named Kate. All aspects of Robert’s young life seem completely in sync during these first scenes of “Train Dreams.”
With the advent of WWI, demand for logging is up, and Robert spends half the years away from his beloved family. It is during these “away” times that Robert experiences the great tragedy that would reshape his remaining years. It shouldn’t require a spoiler alert to disclose that Gladys and Kate disappear. We think we know how and why, but again the fine details are not as important as the pain and grief Robert endures and carries with him eternally.
Tangible yet ethereal
First time director Clint Bentley hits all the right notes in an ethereal yet sublime film which feels at times like a dream and at other times like tangible intimacy. When the grizzled members of the logging crew gather around the campfire on a starry night, we can almost smell the burning embers and feel the wind against our faces. Yet when Robert dozes off, his visions seem right out of a Terrence Malick film. He imagines what Kate would be like as a young adult; he continues to re-live the death of the Chinese rail worker; and (for reasons we will learn during the epilogue) continues to relate all of these to the laying of the rail line.
Greg Kwedar
Adapted from Denis Johnson’s 2011 novel of the same name, Bentley co-wrote “Train Dreams” with Greg Kwedar, responsible for 2023’s embarrassingly underseen “Sing Sing.” That was the Colman Domingo vehicle about the group of Sing Sing maximum security prisoners who took it upon themselves to form an acting troupe – not only as a means of personal release, but also to provide a goal – something to live for. It was a great movie, and now Kwedar has written another one, albeit as divergent in tone as any film could possibly be from “Sing Sing.”
Peripheral characters
Even though “Train Dreams” is abstract and heavenly, kudos to Kwedar and Bentley for not wallowing in heartbreak. In fact, the saddest moments occur during the finale – long after Gladys and Kate have vanished. As Robert’s life progresses, he meets several compelling characters along the way. Particularly amusing is William H. Macy as a silvery old explosives expert the loggers call on when his services are required. He’s overly chatty and not given to hard work, but he connects with Robert in a way that most of the crew does not.
Some years after the war, Robert meets Claire, who works as a park ranger in the recently expanded U.S. Forest Service. A loner like Robert, Claire is played by Kerry Condon. Turns out she too has lost a spouse, albeit under different circumstances. Fortunately, the screenplay doesn’t necessitate any kind of romantic relationship between them – keeping the narrative grounded in reality rather than in Hollywood gimmickry. These supplemental characters flesh out what might otherwise be a film wallowing in anguish. Instead, we are treated to a complete portrait of a man whose greatest contribution to the world might simply have been his work.
Genius finale
As you may have surmised, “Train Dreams” is not plot driven, and that’s exactly what makes it so special. This one doesn’t contain the sheer excitement and drama of “Nuremberg” or “One Battle After Another,” but it doesn’t need to. And the final half hour is nothing short of cinematic genius, as Robert looks back on his long life. When he rides a near-empty passenger car over one of the rail bridges he helped create years earlier, he looks out the window to see cars whizzing by on the newly constructed highway bridge. No dialogue need by spoken.
“Train Dreams” is a special film which will not be easily forgotten. This quiet, somber portrait of Americana stands out as one of this year’s very best achievements in filmmaking.
Andy Ray‘s reviews also appear on https://townepost.com/tag/film-reviews/