In “Train Dreams,” audiences accompany logger Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) as he falls in love, faces devastating losses and fells countless massive trees in the heavy mist of the early 20th century Pacific Northwest.
The film — based on the eponymous 2011 novella by Denis Johnson — marks the second time screenwriting pair Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, who directed the movie, have been nominated for an Academy Award. The duo was previously nominated for Best Original Screenplay in 2025 for the film “Sing Sing.”
Bentley and Kwedar employ a narrator (Will Patton) to dictate Grainier’s story, an often risky filmmaking move that only somewhat succeeds in the film. While Patton’s narration is tactfully delivered and avoids cliches, it often bars audiences from full immersion into the film’s serene, visually triumphant landscape. The oration was particularly bothersome when it disturbed the incredibly alluring visual canvas that cinematographer Adolpho Veloso captured. Veloso, who also collaborated with Bentley on “Jockey” in 2021, is masterful in capturing the rich, deep green topography of the film’s environment.
The film’s interpersonal dialogue is far more successful, effectively rendering characters and conversations that are whole-hearted and dynamic. Edgerton plays a sturdy lead, supported by a stunning and vivacious Felicity Jones as Robert’s wife Gladys. The pair give convincing performances as two characters in love: Their romance is as palpable in quiet moments at the dining table as it is when they speak to each other with adoration.
The two find love in a picturesque cabin, carefully curated by production designer Alexandra Schaller. Between the log walls and lacy floral curtains, Edgerton and Jones’s performances realize a simple story with such care that even the silence sings.
The cast is rounded out by brief but notably strong performances from Kerry Condon, Nathaniel Arcand and Alfred Hsing. William H. Macy, however, utterly steals the show as Arn Peeples, an older logger and explosives expert who Robert meets out at “the cut,” the name Gladys gives their worksites.
Accompanied by his pipe and harmonica, Arn is wise and unbothered by the younger men’s customs. As Robert grapples with life away from his family out at the cut, Arn acts as a sound spiritual guide. Entirely transformed, Macy brings a performance that is bold, humorous and profoundly authentic.
Marked by natural disaster, tragedy and historical racial tensions, “Train Dreams” is a little story that takes on big feelings, and it does so with immense tenderness. It is not a film for lovers of fast-paced, action-packed movies, but it is just right for anyone seeking a gentle love letter to the great expanse of life.
Rebecca Goodman is a university news senior staff writer covering career and alumni. She is a junior from Cambridge, MA, studying English. Outside of writing, you can find her at the Avon or in the basement of the Rock.
