Movie Review – Train Dreams

This film follows Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) as he lives his life through the 20th century in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. He works for the railroad and builds his own home. When is wife and daughter die suddenly in a forest fire, he struggles through his grief but rebuilds his home. As his life goes on, the memories of the women he loved stay with him as the world around him changes quickly.

Joel Edgerton turns in a heartbreaking performance. One of the best and memorable of the year. There isn’t a moment where you don’t see the happiness of his marriage or the pain of his loss. His character is a man of few words but he has deep emotions set against a harsh wilderness.

The cinematography mingled with the music that accompanies it makes for a soft, beautiful film that moves at the slow pace of a long life. The days are long but the years are short. That is what Robert Grainier’s life is in this film, and the film mirrors that perfectly.

The supporting cast that includes Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, Clifton Collins Jr, and William H. Macy brings to life the people that Robert Grainier either loves or falls to for support as he deals with the good and bad that life throws at him. They traverse a quickly changing world from the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and give us a quiet slow burn about heartbreak and survival.

Now playing on Netflix.

4 out of 5 stars.