Train Dreams ride through rewarding terrain

Train Dreams takes a slow and steady ride towards finding truths in a deceptively simple manner. Following the life of a man who leaves no immediately obvious mark on the world, the film takes on a poetic tone derived from a respected novella by Denis Johnson. Adapting the piece with Greg Kwedar, director Clint Bentley stays true to the spirit of its source by unfolding gradually in what amounts to vignettes featuring distinct characters who affect the life of a guy named Robert. An orphan in rural Idaho and Washington state during the early 1900s, Robert rarely speaks and never expects much from life. These qualities require subtle skills from star Joel Edgerton, a fine actor whose track record in projects like Loving repeatedly show that small twitches and expressions often reveal more than carefully contrived words shouted with passion and fervor. However, words play an important part in Train Dreams, with details clarified through narration by Will Patten, his calming voice enhancing the project’s poetic sensibility. Narration frees director Bentley from constraints of shooting every scene using sound equipment. This allows fluid camera movements in the Pacific Northwest’s deep forests and rugged landscapes, beautifully capturing the story’s time period.  Scattering into these settings, a mix of excellent performers spice the story with observations and circumstances that initially seem unrelated but ultimately lead to thoughtful and moving insights. Robert discovers that adage about not seeing the forest through the trees makes sense, and when setting rises to shots from a railroad bridge or fire tower or biplane, the world’s connections often reveal themselves with reassuring clarity.