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Train Dreams

Play trailer 1:13 Poster for Train Dreams 1h 42m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 40 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
Based on the beloved novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe-nominee Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation's railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Academy Award-nominee Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.
Train Dreams

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A gorgeous meditation on America, ably shouldered by one of Joel Edgerton's very best performances, Train Dream takes on mythic proportions while maintaining an intimate emotional delicacy.

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Cast & Crew

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Clint Bentley

Director

Joel Edgerton

Actor

Felicity Jones

Actor

Kerry Condon

Actor

William H. Macy

Actor

Clint Bentley

Screenwriter

Critics Reviews

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Dwight Brown DwightBrownInk.com A dirge so solemn, viewers may exit this train before it arrives at its destination. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 8, 2025 Full Review Justin Chang The New Yorker The result invites obvious yet not inapt comparisons to the work of Terrence Malick, but Bentley’s film unfolds in a more dramatically direct, compacted register. Feb 12, 2025 Full Review Nicolas Rapold Financial Times Bearing echoes of Kelly Reichardt’s 2019 film First Cow, Train Dreams taps into the rough-hewn pioneer poetry of individualism and brutality in a vast wilderness. Feb 8, 2025 Full Review Tina Kakadelis Film Obsessive Train Dreams is a miraculous wonder. The kind of movie that forces you to stop and take stock of this planet. Sep 12, 2025 Full Review Doug Jamieson The Jam Report An achingly beautiful piece of Americana, tender in its humanity and devastating in its recognition that life rarely grants second chances. Rated: 4.5/5 Sep 10, 2025 Full Review J. Don Birnam AwardsWatch Through very simple, mundane moments, Train Dreams portrays an encyclopedic understanding of life. A song sang next to a fire, an encounter with a fugitive, a sleepy afternoon by a meadow. Rated: A- Sep 9, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews
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Train Dreams

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Movie Info

Synopsis Based on the beloved novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe-nominee Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation's railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Academy Award-nominee Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.
Director
Clint Bentley
Producer
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler
Screenwriter
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Black Bear, Kamala Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 7, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2025
Runtime
1h 42m