Movie Review: TRAIN DREAMS

Sometimes you want to watch a big bombastic, effects-laden Super-Hero/Action film.

And…sometimes…all you want is something quiet and gentle that is well-acted, well directed with exquisite Cinematography and a message that will touch your heart.

Such is the experience you will have when watching TRAIN DREAMS, the latest Oscar-contending film from acclaimed Director/Writer Clint Bentley (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for last year’s SING SING)…and it was exactly the type of film I was in the mood for at that moment and it touched my heart.

Based on the Novella by Denis Johnson and starring Joel Edgerton (LOVING) as Robert Grainier, an honest, hard-working loner who is sometimes a logger, sometimes a railroad track builder (amidst a few other odd-jobs) trying to make his way through the changing world that is the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.A. from the late 1800’s well into the 1960’s.

Grainier is a silent, thoughtful and contemplative fellow and we see (and feel) this through the performance of Edgerton (in what could be an Oscar nominated performance). His character does not speak through long stretches of this film so one has to understand the mood that is being conveyed by Edgerton through his facial and body expressions and Edgerton is more than up to the task of having the audience feel his emotions. It’s a strong performance of a character that it is a pleasure to spend 2 hours with.

That is good for Grainier is in almost every shot of the film and others that go in and out of his life (like Oscar winner Felicity Jones and Oscar nominee William H. Macy) are here and gone in a blink of an eye.

Which is precisely the point that Director Bentley makes - and what makes the setting of this piece…the beautiful Pacific Northwest…a perfect secondary character for this story. Bentley lets the camera dwell on the landscape and the beauty of Grainier’s surroundings, so this film becomes a treat for the eyes as well as for the soul.

A tiny piece of calm and quiet in a chaotic world - if you are in the mood for it - TRAIN DREAMS can give you a peaceful respite for a few hours.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the BankofMarquis