TIFF 2025: Train Dreams Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

There is perhaps no better film that puts audiences into the shoes of its main character than Train Dreams, but that should not come as much of a surprise coming from the likes of Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, a team previously responsible for such understatedly powerful works as Jockey and Sing Sing. Following along those lines, their latest is a contemplative character study that is as beautiful as it is heartfelt. The wilderness of Washington State makes for a perfect backdrop for this portrait of early 20th Century America as audiences will feel all the feelings as a logger and railroad worker trying to make ends meet for he and his family contemplates about the beauty and the hardships of life while making the ultimate sacrifice, leaving them behind for long period of time. Over that same time, as the country is rapidly-changing around him, so does the way he interacts with the world around him. Robert Grainer (Edgerton) had to often leave his wife Gladys (Jones), and their child, working as a logger and then railroad worker because during an era when it was tough to survive and provide, those were where the jobs were. Having to leave his family, that did not mean he didn’t miss them. In the end, they were his prime motivation for everything he did. If there was one issue with this, albeit a minor one, is how the story, for the most part, focuses solely on Grainer.

Where Train Dreams excels is through its quieter moments, be it Grainer’s interactions with the other workers across his many work excursions, or whenever he takes a moment to slow down and experience the beauty of nature and contemplates his life and his place in the world. We are shaped by our experiences and that couldn’t be more true with Grainer whose journey, parallel with that of America, was a compelling watch, experiencing it right along with him, both good and bad. That being said, there is no beauty without hardship. Spending so much time away from home, the not knowing of the goings-on there is a hardship in and of itself, believing himself to be cursed, a freak tragedy led him to lose his identity and leave him shaken. A story about a life well lived, great narration from Will Patton sets the tone nicely when it comes to Grainer and his state of mind as he attempts to make sense of the world around him. Largely the strong, silent type, the narration also helped fill gaps he couldn’t quite communicate.

The bedrock of the film, Edgerton is masterful as Grainer, bringing his likeability and effortless charm to the everyman. An understated performance, he pulls audiences into his inner and outer plight as man trying to survive and provide for his family as he gripped with a world that was evolving around him. A roller coaster of emotions, he will have many join him for Grainer’s journey. Secondary to Edgerton, gorgeous cinematography and a captivating score give the film a dream-like feel, weaving between a hopeful feature and the brutal reality. Meanwhile, Macy is a scene-stealer in a limited role, making the most out of his few scenes.

Overall, Train Dreams is a beautifully understated character piece and a compelling rumination on the meaning of life, featuring a terrific Joel Edgerton lead performance.

still courtesy of Netflix

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.