Train Dreams
Introduction
Life has a beautiful irony tagged to it, of people inching towards their deaths from the time that they are born. And yet, the lifespan of an individual comprises of many ‘deaths’ – at times of grief or loss or even longing that formulates the identity of an individual. For most, it is about silently watching your life pass by while your soul is entrapped in a medium of grief – stuck in a time loop – silently wanting to move on but caught in the ordeals of the loss of a loved one. It is the kind of question you tend to pose – would death be the same cycle of wanting to live? The new English film Train Dreams focuses its gaze on Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a regular logger who spends most of his life in oblivion. And I say oblivion given how Grainier is a simpleton, almost irrelevant to the world so much so that you get to know a searing detail about his childhood – he doesn’t know the identity of his parents. In other words, Grainier is an orphan without really having a purpose in life – almost threatening to be a side-character in his own life while meandering along in life. This, until he meets Gladys (Felicity Jones) and has a family of his own. The repercussions of this ‘purpose’ in life is directly proportional to pain – or so Grainier experiences.
Story & Screenplay
Based on a novella of the same name by Denis Johnson and adapted for the screen by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams uses grief as a medium to create an identity for its protagonist who much like most of us treads on the path of irrelevancy. You witness Grainier at the start of the film, quietly working as a logger, and in the process silently carrying the burden of being away from his family. It must be noted on how solitude has been one of the traits of Grainier since childhood, up until he has a family of his own. And yet in the same breath, the idea of spending months away from them does formulate in pain and longing. It is interesting how Grainier chooses to be silent with his co-workers, even while taking turns to chop off trees. Here silence acts as a quiet metaphor for the pain that Grainier has been carrying within him, or alternately the recurring deaths that Grainier has been undergoing while continuing to lived a forced life in solitude.
There is a grain of karma that engulfs the narrative even when Grainier carries off his duties of chopping off trees. In a fleeting moment, a character reminds him and all his co-workers on how every stitch holds a strand of significance in the universe – and every weave cut would have repercussions for humanity. The dual subtext here highlights the life of Grainier which he thinks is irrelevant – giving him a hope of relevance that may still be oblivious to most people while equating the same to the relevance of trees. Here trees act as metaphors for people who die, or for death itself that mounts itself in a journey of a parallel world – somewhere far beyond wherein people wish to live, as opposed to here where people die everyday. Any harm to the trees could have repercussions to the world, or more specifically Grainier who not only sees his colleagues die during freakish accidents, but a tragedy more closer to home featuring his wife and daughter.
The writing here doubles up as a symphony of life, where the soul of an individual longs for that one moment of life while continuing to die everyday. It is almost like a futile attempt of pausing life and heading backwards to the happier moments that only can be cherished in hindsight. For Grainier, grief remains the only emotion that continues to grow on him without finding a sea of acceptance, much like a thirst-driven man in a desert continuing to walk on while imagining an oasis near him. The pain here disguises itself as a sea of hope, even as Grainier continues to die a thousand times everyday in hope to meet his family again. Therein lies the irony of life and death – no one is coming back, no one ever will, something that Grainier refuses to accept despite breaking down in front of a dead animal’s corpse.
The one aspect of time is that it doesn’t pause, even while most of us wish to pause our happier times in a bid for them to last longer. But for Grainier, it is an anti-thesis of sorts – wherein the pain is what keeps him alive in the moment, even whilst he is playing catch up with life. Years pass by and age begins to show on Grainier’s face, perhaps the only time pain has a physical effect on a person. But here is another irony – it is pain that makes Grainier unique in many ways, given how his pain remains intimate to him. And it is ironic on how Grainier chooses to view his pain as a symbol of hope wherein in a scene, you see him imagining his family in the woods without wanting to go closer to them. He didn’t want to scare off their spirits while continuing to grapple in a sea of pain himself.
The era that the drama is set in, plays a pivotal part too – that of the early to mid 1900s that was witness to two world wars, coinciding with the 80 year old life of Grainier. Grainier may have felt himself to be irrelevant but with time he began to understand the essence of life, only to be able to reflect on it in hindsight. Life for most of us is exactly that – by the time we start understanding it, it is too late already. In a scene, you see Grainier discovering his connection to the universe whilst being in a plane – almost swirling in mid-air while being exposed to the changed landscape of his country – something that had his contribution in it too. And it is fitting on how the film ends – like a fever dream of sorts and a nod to The Life Of Chuck (2025) wherein the entire film is presented like a version of life-flashing before one’s eyes. It is a life of relevancy for Grainier engulfed in a sea of grief wherein he gets to die – one final time after the many countless ones while living.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are sparingly used while relying on the frames to absorb the silence as a metaphor for burden and pain for the protagonist. In the same breath, the wide shots paint a picture of loneliness while accounting for the tireless landscapes that continue to forge a battle with mankind. It is the kind of a reverse psyche for humans who die everyday while living, even while nature wishes to live while dying – an interchanging metaphor of life and death. The BGM has deeply melancholic notes submerged beneath a layer of silence that adds to the ambience of the drama. The leisurely editing pattern allows the viewers to soak themselves in the ambience of the drama. The proceedings remains devoid of fast cutaways or jump cuts while imbibing the spirit of the drama laced with grief and pain. Director Clint Bentley deftly creates a meditative narrative that blurs the boundaries of the fourth wall while beginning to speak to you in more ways than you expect it to. Clint uses silence as a virtue of pain and grief while giving his protagonist an identity that remains unique to him. He remains that stitch in the universe that holds a significance, much like all of us do. And in the process, Clint brings out such pure emotions that they are hard to shrug off, while being presented as a fever dream of your own.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. And it is ironic on how every character is tied to the other, with pain being a connective tissue. John Patrick Lowrie as Mr Sears is a character riddled with wisdom – something that Grainier would get at the fag end of his life. And his pearls of wisdom have a sense of poignancy attached to them. Felicity Jones as Gladys has a superb screen presence while putting forth a commendable act. Kerry Condon as Claire has her moments to shine in a character who is dealing with grief of her own. The show though belongs to Joel Edgerton in what could possibly be an Oscar contender for the Academy Awards scheduled next year. Aa Grainier, he remains expressive through his eyes that tell you a story or two, or his partly stooping posture that has probably given way for the invisible burden of pain that he has been carrying. As a result, you are always empathetic towards him while almost being reflective of your own irrelevant journey of pain and grief which may not be irrelevant after all. This probably remains one of the finest performances of the year, wherein Joel remains brilliant to the core.
Conclusion
A strong contender for ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars of 2026, Train Dreams remains a moving tale of grief, loss, and longing packaged in a heartbreaking fever dream of emotions that stays with you long after the drama has ended. Seldom have tears trickled down my cheeks while penning a review; this review remains one of those instances. And just for that, this film has my heart! Available on Netflix and Highly Highly Recommended!