Written by: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Clifton Collins Jr., Kerry Condon, William H. Macy
Rating: [5/5]
As humans we have grown accustomed to a world built on subjectivity where good and evil comprise the value of an individual or an action. This, however, remains solely a human issue when compared to the natural world and the order of things. Nature has no subjectivity; things happen just because. It gives and takes without remorse. Something we may find difficult to comprehend, but Train Dreams does an unimaginably terrific job in capturing as we follow the life of one man in one of the most life-affirming and equally heartbreaking films ever crafted.
Never a man of many worlds, Robert (Joel Edgerton) mostly keeps to himself and generally wanders through life without a distinct purpose. Everything changes when he meets Gladys (Felicity Jones), where the love he builds with her leads to them owning a home, and he strives to find work that does not take him away from her and their daughter.
Everything about Train Dreams happens in such a matter-of-fact manner. These actions often do not match the lyrical nature of the filmmaking involved, which presents this wondrous balance of the beauty found in life. This simplicity in the lead character provides the perfect vessel for everything to flow through as we see the world through his eyes but, more importantly, feel everything he goes through. Robert, by most people’s definitions, is not remarkable nor presents any real intrigue, but through this narrative we experience the delicate balance of life in such an emotionally devastating manner.
Through Robert we get to experience the hard work involved in logging and the transient nature of the work with the different individuals he meets throughout the way. Folks from different walks of life coming together to put in a few weeks of hard, honest work. This leaves them out in nature every day, and by definition, they contend with the natural world and the dangers that befall their line of work. Working in cutting down trees presents the obvious hazard of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. An eventuality we see play out amongst Robert and his colleagues, but it also leads to some wonderful interactions amongst these men. Robert learns what has brought them to this place in life as these individuals expose their faults and wishes, all the same. One colleague, in particular, portrayed by William H. Macy stands out amongst the other men and helps deliver some of the most moving bits of dialogue the entire film has to offer.
While the component of work takes up a good portion of the screentime, the most captivating, by far, rested in the love shared between Robert and Gladys. As mentioned previously, Robert does not have the words to express everything he feels, but through Gladys he finds a home that he never wants to leave. The relationship between this pair displays a love so pure that it will make you ache. One without any superfluousness, simply one drenched in care and affection that allows audiences to mourn with Robert whenever he has to leave her to find work. He would walk through glass for thousands of miles just to get back to her, making every time he had to leave again for another season of logging work a shot to the heart that would take down even the biggest of beasts. They do not need to share these overtures about their love for another; this film immaculately captures it for all to see.
Love and work comprise the biggest focal points of this story, but as the narrative progresses, it further expands the concept of life’s harshness and beauty. From out in the forest to life at home, things happen not because of some moral excellence or failing of the characters involved. No further explanation exists demonstrating the minimal control an individual has in shaping the life circumstances surrounding them. A person can do all of the right things, treat people the right way, and love someone as fiercely as humanly possible, but life has a way of giving and taking that teaches Robert so many valuable lessons. These particular lessons do not necessarily feel good in the moment, but they serve the overarching purpose the filmmakers do not want us to just watch but thoroughly experience.
In a span of three years, Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar have gone from two individuals I knew nothing about to a pairing that I would go to war for. In 2023, they burst onto the scene in spectacular fashion with the emotionally moving Sing Sing and decided on their next collaboration; they would break everyone’s hearts and mend them together with Train Dreams. They have a way of capturing something so deeply humane through their work in just how grounded they keep everything. The grandiose ideas of this film never escape the raw humanity at its core. When Robert does not have much to say, the surrounding environment speaks for him. This pairing has completely won me over, and whatever they deign to make in the future immediately will have my undivided attention.
While much of the aforementioned description of Robert centers on his relative simplicity, it makes the emotional conductivity of Joel Edgerton’s performance all that more powerful. He takes the simple pieces of dialogue given to him and drenches them in every bit of the meaning. Edgerton does so much without speaking to convey everything that happens to Robert throughout the story. He gives his finest performance within a career filled with some high peaks. His work as Robert surpasses them all as the chemistry he builds with Felicity Jones sets the foundation for the beautiful love they share.
Without a doubt, one of the most emotionally impactful films I have ever experienced, Train Dreams wrecked me in a manner not many films ever have. The beauty, destruction, elation, and devastation all wrapped up into one film seeks to make audiences appreciate life not just in its segments but in its totality. The narrative does not demand audiences feel but rather asks them to let Robert’s journey flow through them as it displays one of the most raw and beautiful depictions of life ever put to film. Every single component of this film shines in crafting something that will remain in my head and heart for the rest of my life.
