Clint Bentley’s new film, Train Dreams, is a stunning marriage of visuals and narration. Bentley’s second feature has been compared to the work of Terrence Malick, and I see that, but it’s strong enough to stand on its own. My only complaint is that most people will see it on Netflix, where it debuts this Friday, after a fall festival run and a couple of weeks in a handful of theaters. Train Dreams would look better on a huge screen.
Something resembling a cradle-to-grave biopic of a man who doesn’t exist, Train Dreams is based on the novella of the same name by Denis Johnson. It tells the story of a man named Robert Grainier, who spends several years working as a logger while building the railroad throughout the middle of the 20th century, in the rural areas of the Pacific Northwest. He’s played by Joel Edgerton, a journeyman actor who gives his best-ever performance. Throughout this journey, he misses his wife Gladys (Felicity Jones) and young daughter, suffers tragedy, and is haunted by the regret of multiple bad things that he failed to stop. He also meets some characters along the way, all of whom are played by great American character actors.
There’s William H. Macy, with his first movie performance of note in many years, as an old coot who sits by the campfire. Also popping up is Paul Schneider, the indie movie and Parks & Recreation actor, MIA for a number of years. Will Patton is the narrator. It all leads up to a third-act punch, followed by an ending that conveys a sense of hope.
Train Dreams was directed by Clint Bentley and co-written by Bentley and Greg Kwedar; last year’s Sing Sing was written by the two but directed by Kwedar. Bentley’s previous film was a little-seen but outstanding 2021 festival film called Jockey; that movie’s star, Clifton Collins, Jr., shows up here as well. The film is full of gorgeous heartland vistas, thanks to cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, while Bryce Dessner, from The National, delivers another first-rate musical score, augmented over the closing credits by the Nick Cave song of the same title as the film.
In addition to the Malick comparison, a lot of reviewers have compared Train Dreams to Andrew Dominik’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a film I’ve never liked all that much. But on its own, Train Dreams is one of the best films of 2025.