What happens when progress and humanity collide? The frenzied growth of early 20th-century America is the backdrop for “Train Dreams.” Its story follows Robert Grainier, a man whose survival depends on destructive industries. A tragic event forces him to reevaluate his perspectives on life, death, and the enduring beauty of nature. The adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella is a haunting examination of our embedded connections to the world around us.
‘Dreams’ hails from the celebrated filmmaking team of Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar. The Academy Award nominees earned critical and audience raves for the Kwedar-helmed drama “Sing Sing.” Bentley takes over directing duties for the upcoming film. “It’s a really special story and it feels very unique in that it is just about this one person’s life,” he told Tudum.
The pair assembles a talented cast for the project. Joel Edgerton stars as Grainier. His performance drew praise from The Playlist’s Marshall Shaffer, who states the actor is “delivering career-best work.” The film’s cast includes Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, and Paul Schneider, with Kerry Condon and William H. Macy also featured. Will Patton provides the narration, which proves to be a poetic exploration of key themes.
The film’s official synopsis:
TRAIN DREAMS is based on a novella by Denis Johnson, was directed by Clint Bentley from a script he co-wrote with Greg Kwedar, and stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly changing America of the early 20th Century.
READ MORE: Felicity Jones: “I Felt I Had A Mountain To Climb” [Interview]
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, William Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, and Michael Heimler are producers of “Train Dreams.” The Netflix film is set for a November release in select theaters. It arrives on the streaming service on November 21. Watch the new trailer below.
