‘Train Dreams’ Review: A Landmark Homage to the Unsung Workers of the American West Plays Out Across Forests and Joel Edgerton’s Face

by

In the film “Train Dreams,” it’s not just Joel Edgerton’s chiseled features and piercing blue eyes that grab your attention, but his hands – large, rough, and weathered as if from a lifetime of manual labor. Unlike many actors who’ve only pretended to work in coal mines, Edgerton seems authentic, as if he genuinely has spent decades toiling away.

In “Train Dreams,” the Australian actor embodies the essence of the men who conquered the American Cascades, felled trees and constructed tracks. This magnificent, nearly-century-long film, which is somewhere between a lament and a hymn, was directed by Clint Bentley – one half of the creative duo behind “Sing Sing” and “Jockey,” collaborating with Greg Kwedar on both the scriptwriting and directing duties. The narrative is drawn from a slim, haunting novella by Denis Johnson that celebrates the blue-collar workers who shaped this nation, primarily focusing on Robert Grainier, a character who found moments of joy amidst hardship.

How might the existence of these unnamed workers have unfolded? Who were their cherished ones? In what circumstances did they depart from this world? What thoughts crossed their minds as they gazed upon the night, pondering the celestial bodies or a potential apocalyptic comet? It’s no wonder that any production daring to explore such concepts is influenced by Terrence Malick, a director who imbued cinema with a contemplative and spiritual eloquence. He too delved into the lives of transient laborers from approximately 1916, while “Train Dreams” mirrors this approach for the Pacific Northwest, much like how “Days of Heaven” captured the essence of the Texas Panhandle. However, unlike the latter, “Train Dreams” covers several decades.

Much like many of his coworkers, Grainier doesn’t have the experience of a woman’s love, but he is fortunate in this regard. He encounters and marries Gladys (played by Felicity Jones), and together they establish a home near an untouched stream. While Grainier is off working as a timber cutter, Gladys raises their daughter. Adolpho Veloso, who resembles the cinematographer of “The New World,” Emmanuel Lubezki, captures these moments during the golden hour of daylight, focusing on instances of quiet domestic contentment to symbolize Grainier’s peaceful downtime between grueling tasks. These tranquil memories resurface for him when he’s away at work or reminiscing later in life.

Even though Malick’s style is noticeable, Bentley hasn’t simply mimicked it when narrating Grainier’s tale. Instead, the narrative of “Train Dreams” has a patchwork-like quality, with fragments of sound and imagery flashing fleetingly, almost subconsciously, before our minds, only to resurface later. The film’s structure primarily revolves around significant interactions, many of which involve people Grainier meets briefly but whose words significantly influence his worldview. A solitary figure growls, “Isn’t there any place in this world where a man can find some peace?” – a precursor to the self-imposed isolation that awaits Grainier, reminiscent of Jeremiah Johnson. Bentley populates the film with seasoned character actors, yet many faces seem as rough and genuine as Edgerton’s own.

It’s hard not to feel the roughness of a lawless frontier, where life can end abruptly and unexpectedly. Grainier quickly discovers this truth when he encounters a dying man (Clifford Collins Jr., from “Jockey”), who was stabbed and abandoned by his robber, left behind with only his knees cut. The risks are ever-present: A tree might fall in the wrong place and kill three men, or white people could dislike a Chinese worker and push him off a bridge. An incident like the latter particularly lingers in Grainier’s mind, as he was part of the crowd that held the man’s legs before being thrown off the bridge himself. This experience haunts his dreams, leading Grainier to believe he bears a curse.

What other factor might account for the shocking twist in the movie when a wildfire erupts? It’s unlikely that Bentley foresaw the destruction that California would experience weeks before his film’s premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but such natural disasters are as integral to American life as the drive for expansion. “Train Dreams” portrays this delicate balance, honoring those who conquered the West – men whose weathered faces, barely larger than Lincoln on a penny, gaze out from old photographs beneath the base of century-old tree trunks.

According to the foreman, it’s not the grand pyramids of Egypt that we should be marveling at, but rather the challenges of deforestation and railway construction, a task requiring numerous workers – much like the Roman aqueduct builders or those who constructed the Great Wall of China. The character Edgerton represents one of these laborers, although it’s important to note that they were not all alike. The script portrays Grainier as an individual, setting him apart from other characters such as Apostle Frank (Paul Schneider) and Arn Peeples (William H. Macy), who pass away before his very eyes.

These men don’t appear overly concerned with legacy. At a site where colleagues lost their lives at work, Arn symbolically honors them by attaching their boots to a tree – a gesture hinted at earlier when the tree trunks had grown around the leather. Similar to Malick’s films, “Train Dreams” seems open to various interpretations. It’s likely that Bentley and editor Parker Laramie explored numerous possibilities in shaping this story, striving for a delicate blend of poetic imagery and coherent narrative, while avoiding elements that might overly emotionalize the audience.

The movie is supported by Bryce Dessner’s string composition and heartfelt narration from Will Patton, who also recorded the audiobook, and strategically highlights significant lines of Johnson’s at crucial moments. Some purists may view voiceovers as a weakness, but in this case, it appears to be an exceptional demonstration of the technique done correctly, providing depth that Edgerton’s largely dialogue-free performance and stunning cinematography couldn’t achieve alone. On the other hand, by showcasing Grainier’s face (and those massive hands) as well as footage of his living and working spaces, Bentley’s film manages something the book didn’t: it adds a visual layer to this humble tribute, creating a visual record that history seems to have overlooked.

Read More

2025-01-27 00:47