Train Dreams

 

“There were once passageways to the old world. And even though the old world is gone, he can still feel the echo of it.”

Poetic, transcendent and rustic, Train Dreams is a tender turn-of-the-century folktale that sweeps you up in its soft spoken narration and stunning natural light to deliver a heart wrenching story that’s deeply restrained, poignant and transcendent. 

Discussion Points:

There’s always something special about watching a film that you can tell from its opening shots and notes will be nothing short of sublime. Train Dreams is a truly dreamy transcendent experience that’s so deeply poetic and reflective of the human life lived quietly, powerfully, subtly and simply. Adapted from the novella of the same name by the same team (Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar) behind Sing Sing (my no. 5 film of last year), Train Dreams immediately swept me up and held me and hurt me and healed me. Joel Edgerton is wonderful in a humble, heartfelt performance that feels deeply embodied and emblematic of the era he inhabits, in a film so tender, a story so subdued, and a natural beauty that’s nothing short of haunting.

“Beautiful ain’t it 

Just beautiful 

What is, Arn?

All of it 

Every bit of it”

A film I am deeply thankful for even as it made me ache.