Sonhos de Trem

The work of Terence Malick is clearly an influence on this beautifully shot, well acted drama, that won't be for all but those willing to succumb to its chilly, woody charms will be rewarded with an ethereal feeling of gentleness and melancholic feelings.

I liked that'Grainger' never develops a romance with the Kerry Condon character, its too predictable.

The threadbare story is a criticism but Joel Edgerton carries the film to a peak of authenticity in his looks and manner that after a while one forgets there is no forward narrative drive.

It's a tricky one to pull off....

The award-nominated writers of SING SING, Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, have now upped their game even more with TRAIN DREAMS, this time with Bentley directing. It has a similar theme of the beauty and unpredictability of humanity and the world itself. Based on a novella by Denis Johnson, this is a character study of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger working on a railroad in 1917. He's stoic, a hard-working man with a wife (Felicity Jones) and daughter to take care of. He's a man of few words, but he's thoughtful, looking for purpose in life. Usually, having a narrator could be seen as a crutch, but it's done so well here, voiced by a smooth but powerful Will Patton. He gives us more insight into Robert and the world around him. The movie touches on discrimination during the "Great War", but its main focus is Robert and how the world changes around him. The process of building a railroad represents both destruction and progress. Chopping down trees, then making the world smaller by building railroads. It also focuses on Robert's workmates, one played by William H. Macy. His role is very small, but this might be the best he's ever been. Speaking of "best he's ever been", freakin Joel Edgerton. This man does so much, with little dialogue. It's an award-worthy performance on top of an already awesome career. Humanity's complicated relationship with nature is another theme here. Overall, this is a poetic meditation of America, about the ups and downs of one life among many. I had the privilege of seeing TRAIN DREAMS in a sold-out theatre, and I can't wait for you to see it when it comes to Netflix on November 21. I know this review is early, I just had to put something out there about it. Put it on a list, make a reminder, don't pass this one by when it finally releases!

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.

I think all filmmakers should take the medium seriously, but most don't. It's an artform. I'm not saying make an art film, just be mindful. Take it seriously. Do honest work.

This movie isn't for everyone. There's no antagonist/protagonist face off with a satisfying conclusion. It's just a story.

That's all I'm looking for. A life that isn't mine, in a time and place I'll never know, told by someone mindful of the work they are doing.

Every couple of years, someone does this kind of work and I'm thankful for it.

I hope that whoever has a high sensitivity will see this movie. I never write reviews, but this movie touched my soul. With hypnotic visuals and a minimalist score, it blends gritty realism and dreamlike fragments. The film's slow-burn tension and raw performances create an intimate portrait of fragile hope.