Train Dreams

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Train Dreams

PG-13,

2025,

1h 42m,

Drama

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93%

245 Reviews

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Popcornmeter

93%

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245 Reviews

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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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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John Nugent

Empire Magazine

Dec 2, 2025

4/5

Haunting, serenely composed and beautiful, this is an elegy for a life and a country that America used to be. 

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Nov 26, 2025

4/5

Bentley renders Idaho and this way of life around the turn of the 20th century in such a mystical and mysterious way, it almost seems like science fiction.

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Rebecca Onion

Slate

Nov 24, 2025

Beautiful, moving, and thoughtful.

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Lexi Amoriello

Movie Recs by Lex

Jul 10, 2026

Train Dreams is a poignant, quietly powerful reminder that this life is so fragile and precious, but it’s all we’ve got, so we need to stop and take in all the subtle beauty that surrounds us while we still can.

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Andrew Kendall

Stabroek News

Jun 21, 2026

But much too often "Train Dreams" feels pragmatic where it might feel sensual, making the arc of what it wants you to feel end up too clumsy to succumb to.

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Pat Bulfamante

The MontyVerse

May 19, 2026

Bentley crafts a film that honors the idea that everyone’s life is a story. Not just the loud ones. Not just the famous ones. Every life contains love, loss, joy, regret, and perseverance. Every life moves too quickly. Every life matters to someone.

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Clint Bentley

Director

Joel Edgerton

Robert Grainier

Clifton Collins Jr.

Boomer

Felicity Jones

Gladys Grainier

Alfred Hsing

Fu Sheng

John Patrick Lowrie

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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: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman
Screenwriter: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Black Bear, Kamala Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence and Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 7, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2025
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos

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