Best Picture Binge - Netflix's Train Dreams

History moves on.

Train Dreams is a 2025 period drama film directed by Clint Bentley, written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, produced by Black Bear and Kamala Films, and distributed by Netflix. It is based off of Denis Johnson's 2011 novella of the same name. The film stars Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. It was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song (Train Dreams).

"He felt, at last, connected to it all." - The Narrator

Plot

Logger Robert Grainer wants to figure out a way to escape his dangerous lifestyle and live out a happy life with his wife and daughter. But when tragedy strikes, Robert must find a new meaning in life and uncover where happiness lies in the midst of darkness.

The Sweet

It feels like this year's nominees are divided into two categories. There are five more mainstream movies: Sinners, F1, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and Frankenstein...and then there are the five more "Oscar-darling" movies: Train Dreams, Bugonia, The Secret Agent, Hamnet, and Sentimental Value. Naturally, I gravitate more towards the mainstream movies, so I went into Train Dreams with modest expectations.

And, wow, did this movie surprise me.

So many movies nowadays feel like they can't get subtlety right. There's a delicate balance between being too overt and loud with your messaging and themes and being too quiet and ambiguous. Train Dreams strikes that balance perfectly. This is a very quiet, introspective film, but it's able to just let you sit in the emotion and meaning of it all. It sort of washes over you rather than just forcing you to experience a traditional story. It gives you time to process and think about what you are watching, and, for a movie as poignant and emotional as this, that really worked.

Of course, the thing everyone is talking about with Train Dreams is the jaw-dropping cinematography. Every shot in this movie could be framed in an art museum. The film is shot in these grandiose environments with huge trees and vast fields and just tons of natural beauty. It's a period piece about 1930s loggers, so most of it does take place in nature, and that just allows for some absolutely gorgeous cinematography. The camera often frames the characters as small in the vastness of nature, which is both incredible to look at and thematically resonant.

Likewise, the performances match the introspective tone of the rest of the movie. Joel Edgerton is able to communicate so much with little dialogue. He is so often the only person on screen, and he emphasizes that loneliness with this somber look in his eyes and body language. He's so easily sympathetic and relatable, because he's just trying to live out his happiest life, but the world keeps throwing horrible obstacles in his way. He carries this somberness with him across the entire film that makes the final moments really powerful when you fully realize the movie's intentions.

I think a lot of this movie's greatness should be attributed to Clint Bentley, the director. Train Dreams is a movie that could so easily not work for me. It's a slow character study that doesn't have much of a story, but Bentley directs it so gently and with such intricacy that it really works. I am just so in awe of how much emotion and thematic resonance this movie was able to have with so little actually happening. It just knows how to reel its audience in and deliver a touching, sweet message about trying to find a purpose within a dark, tragedy-ridden life. It's highly emotional and highly thought-provoking, and I just can't think of many other movies that are able to draw out these feelings without ever really saying much on screen.

The Sour

I honestly don't have much to say here. I know it doesn't feel like I had a lot of positives either, but this is just such a subtle, quiet movie that it's kind of hard to review. I think that could actually definitely be a turn-off for some people. This movie is very slow and not a lot happens. If that doesn't sound like it's for you, I'd just know that going in. I would still recommend it, because I don't usually love slow, atmospheric films like this, but I just thought Train Dreams was fantastic.

Does This Film Deserve Its Best Picture Nomination?

Yes. Train Dreams is, as I've said many times, a touching, deeply emotional work of art that reflects on the human condition with a gentleness that I rarely see in movies. I am honestly surprised it isn't being talked about more. This is probably the most underrated Best Picture nominee, simply it's not trying to make a big splash. It's a quiet, artistic little story that will be really effective for most people that watch it (or so I hope).

Final Thoughts and Score

Train Dreams is a fantastic and beautiful look at perserverance through tragedy. I was thoroughly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film.

I am going Sweet here. Age range is 12+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great)

Savory (Good) Sour (Bad)

Moldy (Terrible)

"Train Dreams"

Fun Factor: 7.5/10

Acting: 9.5/10

Story: 9/10

Characters: 8.5/10

Quality: 9.5/10

Directed by Clint Bentley

Rated PG-13 for moderate violence, minor sexual content, disturbing themes and images, thematic elements

Released on November 7, 2025

1 hour and 42 minutes

Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainer

Felicity Jones as Gladys Grainer

Kerry Condon as Claire Thompson

William H. Macy as Arn Peeples

Will Patton as The Narrator

Nathaniel Arcand as Ignatius Jack

Alfred Hsing as Fu Sheng