Train Dreams

UK Release Date: 21 November 2025

Director: Clint Bentley

Cast: Nathaniel Arcand, Kerry Condon, Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, Will Patton

Runtime: 102 mins

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review:

Train Dreams, film's most personal offering this year. An intimate, human story told in an expansive, evolving environment. Every emotion is seen, every emotion is felt. A tranquil refection on time. The regret of not spending those hours correctly - hoping to be transported to the past. Simply waiting for the surroundings to revert to normal. Lingering thoughts and persistent questions as Robert Grainier attempts to hold on to his little corner of the world. 

As well as being thematically rich, Train Dreams is a visual feast. The most gorgeous forest landscapes. Deep, luscious greens fill the screen - only glimpses of natural light break through the canopies leading to several breathtaking lens flares. Stunning skies accompany the greenery once the film widens its scope. An expanding field of vision that the camerawork allows for. Largely handheld to encourage full freedom of movement. Thematic ideas working in tandem with Adolpho Veloso's ability behind the camera. Roaming images symbolising the ever-changing American landscape around Robert. Honestly feels mesmeric, ridiculous beauty throughout. Yet, at the same time, being similarly adept at tacking the haunting and devastating imagery present within the poetic delusions.  

Meditative frames accompanied sonically by peaceful melodies that encourage contemplation and self-reflection. Bryce Dessner not only has the tools to go in any direction musically, he's almost dared to. Accomplished on guitar, piano, keyboard and flute as a result of his range in The National - the possibilities seem endless for what he can do with the score. Coming across as hypnotic, classical pieces progress to orchestral symphonies, all whilst drawing sounds from 20th century American folk music. Results in an abundance of juxtaposed emotions - extracting feelings of sorrow and heartbreak before almost instantly eliciting an unfaltering sensation of hope and optimism. 

No better manifestation of these conflicting ideas than in Dessner's Home suites. Auditory backdrops to Robert's dwindling time with his family. Struggling with the increasingly limiting physical barriers put in his way. A family first connecting in the unrestricted outdoors, soon experiencing tangible obstacles - a doorway, a glass window. Eventually, linked only through dreams. An emphasis on the physical disconnect of the Grainier family. 

Ultimately, this patient, poetic filmmaking can only work with an equally stoic lead performance. There's an endurance present within Joel Edgerton's expressions that can't help but come across as truly sincere. A pained look of torment and regret. A sentiment shared by Nick Cave in his poignant closing track, Train Dreams - "I can't begin to tell you how this feels."