Train Dreams (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A man's life is shaped by the memories of his past and the haunting visions of a tragedy he witnessed on the railroad.
The story
The film recounts the 80 years of the life of Robert Grainier around Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Arriving in the area on the Great Northern Railway as a 7 year old orphaned child in 1893, Robert drops out of school and spends his younger years without direction or purpose, until he meets Gladys Olding. They marry, build a log cabin along the Moyie River, and have a daughter, Kate. Robert takes to railroad construction for the Spokane International Railway. There he witnesses a Chinese worker thrown from a bridge by a group of white workers for unclear reasons, which gives him continually haunting visions of the man and dreams of him being struck by a train.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film recounts the 80 years of the life of Robert Grainier around Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Arriving in the area on the Great Northern Railway as a 7 year old orphaned child in 1893, Robert drops out of school and spends his younger years without direction or purpose, until he meets Gladys Olding. They marry, build a log cabin along the Moyie River, and have a daughter, Kate. Robert takes to railroad construction for the Spokane International Railway. There he witnesses a Chinese worker thrown from a bridge by a group of white workers for unclear reasons, which gives him continually haunting visions of the man and dreams of him being struck by a train. Robert later takes up seasonal logging work, but it takes him away from Gladys and Kate for long periods of time. He witnesses various tragedies, including the death of a fellow logger, Arn Peeples. After a wildfire destroys his cabin and his family goes missing, Robert eventually becomes a carriage driver. He meets Claire Thompson and continues to live in his cabin, believing he can feel the spirits of his wife and daughter. The film ends in 1968 as Robert, now an old man, experiences a final moment of connection to his past while flying in a biplane.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Clint Bentley
- Writers
- Clint Bentley · screenplay; Greg Kwedar · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Joel Edgerton · Robert Grainier; Felicity Jones · Gladys Olding Grainier, Robert's wife; Kerry Condon · Claire Thompson; William H. Macy · Arn Peeples; Will Patton · the narrator; Nathaniel Arcand · Ignatius Jack; John Diehl · Billy; Paul Schneider · Apostle Frank
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- Grief; Memory; Isolation
- Tone and mood
- Wistful; Poetic
- Setting
- Bonners Ferry, Idaho, from 1893 to 1968.
- Premise and plot tags
- Period Piece; Railroad; Logging
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2011 novella by Denis Johnson
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, with praise going to Bentley's direction and Edgerton's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 88 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was shot entirely in natural light using an Arri Alexa 35 cinema camera.; The film was compared to the work of Terrence Malick.; A song titled 'Train Dreams' performed by Nick Cave was added to the final cut.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…