‘The world needs a hermit in the woods as much as a preacher in the pulpit...’
Not to go all Jordan Peterson here, but I have a theory that one of the reasons why the Yellowstone franchise is so successful is that it harks back to a time when men generally had jobs that involved tough physical labour, had to support a wife and several children, and weren’t allowed to express any emotion. Now, I’m not by any means saying things were better in the past when gender roles were more clearly defined, but I am saying that in the past thirty years, men have suffered an identity crisis. This perhaps also explains the popularity of fucking idiots like Elon Musk and Andrew Tate – weak, insecure men masquerading as a shining example of manhood. All that’s to say, watching Train Dreams awakened a twinge within me – a desire to live a life with more purpose. It’s also a sensational film…
Train Dreams presents us with the life of Robert Grainier(Joel Edgerton) as narrated by Will Patton. Robert is a quiet, thoughtful man who spends the first part of his life as a logger and railroad worker before meeting Gladys (Felicity Jones), the love of his life. The second half of the film concerns Robert’s brush with tragedy, relationship with grief and ultimate road to acceptance. The incredible supporting cast includes William H. Macy as an eccentric explosives expert, Paul Schneider as a talkative logger and Kerry Condon as a sympathetic widower.
Based on Denis Johnson’s novel, Train Dreams is writer-director Clint Bentley’s homage to the esoteric and meditative work of Terrence Malick. Now, for my money, and I know this will be sacrilegious in some quarters, Train Dreams surpasses anything in Malick’s oeuvre. Anchored by a career-best performance from Edgerton, Bentley’s film proves the maxim that every life is remarkable in its own way, but it does so in a way that never threatens to descend into unearned sentimentality. The most emotive moments here are also the quietest. Edgerton staring into a fire. Edgerton staring into the middle distance. The guy does a lot of staring in this film, and in lesser hands this might become dull, but Bentley’s assured direction, combined with Bryce Dessner’s truly mesmerising score, grants Train Dreams an emotional weight and power that marks it out as one of the most impressive cinematic accomplishments of the year. Edgerton is surely nailed on for a Best Actor nod for his performance.
While Bentley’s fourth film will perhaps be too slow for some, I found it incredibly moving. To quote from Life of Chuck, a lesser film released this year with a similar message, we contain multitudes. Train Dreams demonstrates that in a way that is often utterly breathtaking.
