Netflix’s latest cinematic offering, Train Dreams, has quickly become the talk of the streaming world, drawing praise from critics and audiences alike for its meditative beauty and powerful performances. Released on November 7, 2025, following a celebrated premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the film adapts Denis Johnson’s acclaimed 2011 novella, itself a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and first published in The Paris Review in 2002. Director Clint Bentley, working alongside co-writer Greg Kwedar, undertook the challenging task of translating Johnson’s decades-spanning, poetic story for the screen—a journey that has paid off handsomely, according to reviewers from Metro, iNews, and FandomWire.
At the heart of Train Dreams is Robert Grainier, portrayed by Joel Edgerton in what critics are hailing as a career-defining performance. Grainier is an orphaned logger and railroad worker living in the Pacific Northwest during the early 20th century—a time of sweeping change and industrial expansion. His life is marked by simplicity, hard labor, and, ultimately, profound loss. The film follows his journey from a hopeful young man, building a home with his beloved wife Gladys (Felicity Jones) and their young daughter Kate, to a solitary figure grappling with the aftermath of devastating tragedy.
Director Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar approached the adaptation with unusual dedication. As Bentley told Tudum, “It was a really unique writing process and really rewarding. I wanted to make sure that we were completely loyal to the spirit of the book that Denis had written, but also let the story take its own path to become the movie that it needed to be. It was a constant exploration of trying to find what that balance was.” To capture the world of Grainier authentically, the duo even stayed in a cabin at the story’s setting, meeting local loggers and absorbing the landscape’s atmosphere.
The film’s visual grandeur has been singled out as one of its greatest strengths. Cinematographer Adolpho Veloso brings the vast, rugged American West to life with breathtaking imagery. Each frame, as iNews notes, “feels like a moving painting,” drawing comparisons to the work of Terrence Malick while retaining a unique, poetic voice. This visual approach supports the film’s meditative tone, immersing viewers in the isolation, beauty, and harshness of Grainier’s world.
Yet, it’s the emotional depth of Train Dreams that lingers longest. The story’s core revolves around Grainier’s love for Gladys and their daughter, and the shattering loss he suffers when both perish in a catastrophic forest fire. While the novella presents Kate as a four-month-old, the film ages her to two, amplifying the sense of loss and connection. The deaths of Gladys and Kate become the defining event of Grainier’s life in the film, shaping his solitude and his struggle to find meaning in a world forever changed.
Joel Edgerton’s performance as Grainier has received widespread acclaim. According to Rolling Stone’s David Fear, “So many films make you feel, in hindsight, that no one else could have played those characters except the people who were cast. Edgerton gives you that sensation within the first 30 seconds of him being onscreen here.” Edgerton himself described the role as a challenge he was eager to take on, telling Tudum, “I always like to say that the reason to go to work is to be challenged, to challenge yourself, and to do things that are a little bit frightening.” He added, “I think the film is saying that, despite all the things that knock us down, human beings are incredibly good at standing back up.”
Felicity Jones brings warmth and vitality to the role of Gladys, with Bentley remarking, “Every scene she’s in is like a breath of fresh air.” Jones, for her part, found the character’s connection to nature compelling: “There’s something very elemental in her. You feel that she’s very at home in nature.”
The supporting cast adds further richness. William H. Macy appears as Arn Peeples, a figure who imparts wisdom and new perspective to Grainier. Macy described Arn as “a poet. He’s a philosopher; he’s a sluggard. He’s mature, he’s older. He’s got wisdom. I’d like to hang out with Arn Peeples.” Kerry Condon plays Claire Thompson, a Forest Service worker who, like Grainier, knows the ache of solitude after loss. Condon observed, “There was quite a lonely existence and there was a lot of solitude. And that appealed to me, that part of Claire. Because she was comfortable with the solitude, she was at ease with it.”
The adaptation takes some liberties with Johnson’s novella, omitting or altering certain storylines. Notably, the film leaves out the novella’s wolf-girl subplot and changes the fate of Kootenai Bob, a Native American neighbor whose tragic end in the book is softened for the screen. Instead, the character Ignatius Jack, played by Nathaniel Arcand, fills the role of storekeeper and friend. These changes, while significant, have not diminished the film’s emotional impact; rather, they allow the narrative to focus more intently on Grainier’s inner world and his journey through grief and isolation.
Critics have responded enthusiastically. Metro highlights the film’s “exceptional” attention to detail and storytelling, with audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes reaching 83% and critics nearly unanimous at 95%. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter writes, “At the risk of gushing, I adored this perfectly formed movie. It elevates Bentley into the league of essential American filmmakers.” Linda Marric of HeyUGuys calls it “a simply stunning film from start to finish,” and Travis M. Andrews of The Washington Post describes it as “a 102-minute respite from a world that never gives us a chance to slow down and realise how beautiful it truly is.”
The accolades have followed. Train Dreams has earned nominations for best feature and best adapted screenplay at the 2025 Gotham Film Awards, while Edgerton has picked up acting honors at film festivals across the United States. The film’s premiere at Sundance helped build momentum ahead of its Netflix release, and since then, it’s become a must-see for those seeking a poignant, slow-burn character study that rewards patience and empathy.
As Train Dreams continues to captivate viewers worldwide, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of quiet storytelling, resilience in the face of loss, and the ability of cinema to transport us—if only for a while—into the spaces between moments.
