Directed By Clint Bentley; Screenplay By Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar; Starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, Kerry Condon, and William H. Macy.
Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella of the same name. The story follows Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger who’s working to develop the railroad across the United States. Yet the job causes him to spend vast times away from his wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones), and daughter as he struggles with his place in a changing world. Train Dreams is the latest from the team of Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar. Last year, they gave us the stunning Sing Sing (with Kwedar in the director’s chair).
This time, Bentley is at the helm of something just as stunning. Under his direction, he creates a world that feels so lived in both emotionally and visually. Adolpho Veloso’s cinematography is quite elegant with not only the 4:3 aspect ratio, but also the lighting in several scenes. Parker Laramie’s excellent editing keeps everything very tightly paced within the 102 minute runtime. Although Bryce Dessner’s stunning musical score is perfectly evocative of all the emotions felt throughout the film.
On the surface, Joel Edgerton’s work as Rober comes off as very subdued. Yet underneath it all is quite a complex, layered performance. He may be the main character we follow from beginning to end, but the supporting actors do get their opportunities to shine. Felicity Jones is wonderful as his wife, Gladys. Kerry Condon doesn’t appear until the third act. When she does, her overall presence proves to be a highlight. William H. Macy also isn’t in it a whole lot, but he does turn in some pretty solid work.
Between this and Sing Sing, I’m so looking forward to following the careers of both Bentley & Kwedar. They’ve proven to be capable of presenting these personal, intimate character dramas in such an emotionally powerful way. With that, Train Dreams easily earns my highest recommendation! This movie is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 5/5
Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella of the same name. The story follows Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger who’s working to develop the railroad across the United States. Yet the job causes him to spend vast times away from his wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones), and daughter as he struggles with his place in a changing world. Train Dreams is the latest from the team of Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar. Last year, they gave us the stunning Sing Sing (with Kwedar in the director’s chair).
This time, Bentley is at the helm of something just as stunning. Under his direction, he creates a world that feels so lived in both emotionally and visually. Adolpho Veloso’s cinematography is quite elegant with not only the 4:3 aspect ratio, but also the lighting in several scenes. Parker Laramie’s excellent editing keeps everything very tightly paced within the 102 minute runtime. Although Bryce Dessner’s stunning musical score is perfectly evocative of all the emotions felt throughout the film.
On the surface, Joel Edgerton’s work as Rober comes off as very subdued. Yet underneath it all is quite a complex, layered performance. He may be the main character we follow from beginning to end, but the supporting actors do get their opportunities to shine. Felicity Jones is wonderful as his wife, Gladys. Kerry Condon doesn’t appear until the third act. When she does, her overall presence proves to be a highlight. William H. Macy also isn’t in it a whole lot, but he does turn in some pretty solid work.
Between this and Sing Sing, I’m so looking forward to following the careers of both Bentley & Kwedar. They’ve proven to be capable of presenting these personal, intimate character dramas in such an emotionally powerful way. With that, Train Dreams easily earns my highest recommendation! This movie is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 5/5