Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is a strong, simple, dignified man living as a logger in Washington State at the turn of the 20th century.
Following him over the course of his life, we see Grainier experience profound joy, loss and change, taking everything in his stride with a noble grace.
Edgerton completely embodies the inertia, passivity, regret, and decency of his character in a masterful performance. His ability to convey deep sadness on his face throughout is moving and inspired.
For an actor typically cast for his physicality as a burley tough man, here he channels his natural presence and masculinity differently, into an otherwise against-type performance.
Felicity Jones and William H. Macy both give compelling and impactful supporting performances, while Kerry Condon’s cameo breathes life into the latter stages of the film.
The writing here absolutely sings. An adaptation of a 116-page 2011 novella, the dialogue and narration feel novelistic – this film honours what is clearly a very carefully and lovingly crafted source text.
Clear, direct narration used sparingly to great effect, as are long, profound, beautiful passages of poetic dialogue that contemplate man’s place in the world at a time of great transformation.
Grounded in the setting and era of Washington state in the early 20th century and told over decades, we see how human innovation during a time of rapid advancement intersects with this ancient setting.
The relationship between humans and our environment is prodded subtly but provocatively. The film opens with scenes of ancient, enormous trees being felled, which is juxtaposed with some pivotal scenes that show nature humbling man.
Macy’s Arn Peeples, an eccentric veteran logger, tells the crew around a campfire, “This world is intricately stitched together, boys. Every thread we pull, we know not how it affects the design of things”.
“We’re but children on this earth, pulling bolts out of the Ferris wheel thinking ourselves to be gods.”
Beautiful compositions and locations speak a visual language in perfect harmony with the story being told, complimenting the tragedy, guilt and regret that haunts Granier.
Wide shots of Grainier working in the landscape, either out on-site logging or on his idyllic riverside property, demonstrate the quiet, haunting beauty of his suffering.
While I would have loved to have caught this on the big screen during its limited theatrical run, the visuals are still very compelling at home.
Verdict: A classy, prestige film. Train Dreams is a thematically rich, tragic, meditative look at a fascinating time and place in America’s history that softly contemplates man’s place in the world. 4.5 stars.
Train Dreams is streaming on Netflix.
