Train Dreams

The calmness we deserve in today's pacing cinema. Loved it. We should have more of these. It's a whisper when everything else is shouting. A deep, soulful meditation on simple survival, memory, and the vast, quiet beauty of passing time. This one stays with you. It lingers, a quiet, profound ache of humanity.

"Train Dreams" reminded me a lot of "Nomadland," and affected me in the same way. There isn't any one big moment that hit me emotionally. Rather, the film builds up a gradual accumulation of moments that eventually tipped me over the edge, and I spent the last 30 minutes sobbing in the theater.

Also, like "Nomadland," "Train Dreams" really taps into what it's like to coexist with loneliness as a permanent part of the human condition. And it doesn't talk about it -- it makes you feel it. Joel Edgerton is giving an amazing performance. With little dialogue and little even in the way of story, he creates a character we feel we know like someone we've spent years around. There are some lovely performances in smaller roles too, notably William H. Macy and Kerry Condon, both of whom make a big impression with little screen time.

For all its sadness and uncertainty though, "Train Dreams" isn't a downer. Let's all hope we have a moment like Joel Edgerton's character has at the end, where something clicks and we figure out where we fit in the bigger picture.

Grade: A+

I haven't read the book. Thank goodness because by the sounds of the other reviews I might be disappointed.

But honestly I'm not sure how you could be with a movie like this. It is real and deep and so so sad but in such a wonderful and human way.

Memories of hugely inspiring books and movies from my youth such as "on the black hill" by Bruce Chatwin or "into the wild" the story of Chris Mcandless come flooding back as we follow simple woodsman Robert as he strangely appears in the world and navigates life, death, friendship and loss and generally wonders what the hell is it all about?

It is a beautifully woven film full of intense colours and shades of the natural world, you can feel the warmth of the fire, the glow of the sunset and the crisp notes of the snow. Incredible camerawork make every scene a visual experience.

The cast are equally good. Joel Edgerton has long been a favorite of mine since his directorial debut "the gift" and he just gets better and better. Wonderful to see william H Macy in such a perfect role too.

I know sad movies are not for everyone and to be honest they are a bit of a time and place for me too. But this was the time and the place and it encapsulated how I was feeling and helped me get a view on that by making me realise that I am not alone in being alone.

We all have our moments of loneliness and loss and sorrow. It is the one thing that makes us all equal as humans. We all have to deal with it sooner or later and no one's pain is greater or more important than any others. It is the true leveller of people in this world.

Robert doesn't understand this or pretend to he just lives this. He embodies this ideology quietly and stoically. He goes about his business and stays out of people's way as much as he can trying to make life work and aware of how risky it all is..He is a good man but he is lost emotionally and is trying to find his way through the world.

I loved it. I don't care if no one else loves it. It touches a very deep nerve with me and for that I am truly thankful for the people who made this film possible. Bravo.

Train Dreams is one of those films that, at first glance, seem to lean toward easy melancholy and empty contemplation. The premise, centered on the lonely life of a lumberjack in the early 20th century, could suggest a drama that is too slow, stuck in long landscapes and silent emotions. But what Clint Bentley delivers here is something much deeper. In his second feature film, he confirms the sensitivity he had already demonstrated in writing Sing Sing (2024), constructing a delicate experience about memory, loss, the passage of time, and the weight we carry when remembering what will never return.

Above all, the film is about how we deal with life when everything we once were is now behind us. It is about time passing without asking permission and about the people who come in and out of our lives, leaving only memories behind. Bentley and Kwedar transform this theme into something universal: anyone who has ever lost someone, who has seen the world change too quickly, or who has found themselves revisiting memories without knowing why, will find something here that resonates deeply. In the end, the film offers no answers, but leaves us with a powerful reflection: memories are what accompany us to the end, and it is up to us to choose how we want to live them. Time waits for no one, people come and go, but what we hold on to, even what we only realize later, is what shapes who we are. Train Dreams may be slow and contemplative, but it is precisely in this rhythm that it finds depth.

In the end, the film offers no answers, but leaves us with a powerful reflection: memories are what accompany us until the end, and it is up to us to choose how we want to live them. Time waits for no one, people come and go, but what we hold on to, even what we only realize later, is what shapes who we are. Dreams of a Train may be slow and contemplative, but it is precisely in this rhythm that it finds depth. It is one of the most sensitive and impactful films of the year, and certainly one of Netflix's strongest bets to win over audiences and critics. If life is made up of passages, so is cinema, and this is one of those films that remains.

One can't imagine the world as Robert has until you've been in his shoes. At 70 yrs old I can relate perfectly, as I have been a loner for the latter part of my life as well. Like Robert, I long for the love I lost, and the time I'll never get back.

This is a story of life, loss, beginnings, and end. Of loneliness, sorrow, and brief happiness, which seems to be always fleeting.

This movie has a warmth very rare in these days of "The Avengers, and Ironman, Avatar, etc, most will Find it boring, uninteresting, and vague. But it tells a very important story, and if you "Get It", you'll be much more content in your life.

Excellent Movie, with Magnificent Acting. Joel Edgerton should get an Academy Award for his role in this magnificent Masterpiece!

It's just a Very Moving Movie!!!!