“Train Dreams” is the new movie written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, the duo behind last year’s Oscar-nominated screenplay for “Sing Sing.”

Bentley is also the director. The film follows a logger named Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) as he searches for meaning in his life and work during the early 1900s.

A standout element of “Train Dreams,” that is immediately evident within seconds of the film starting, is Adolpho Veloso’s viscerally breathtaking cinematography.

Humanity’s tie to nature is one of the themes this movie is most interested in exploring, so it was important for the landscapes the characters pass through to be captured vividly and beautifully, and this film is one of the most visually stunning depictions of nature ever.

This film uses its lighting as a storytelling device of its own, brilliantly capturing the beauty of certain moments and the dullness of others. It will be a crime if Veloso isn’t at least nominated for an Oscar for his work in this film.

The visual storytelling of “Train Dreams” is also effectively achieved through Bentley’s direction.

Grainier works a job of destruction, further ruining the natural beauty of the world with every tree he cuts down and every job he takes.
This destruction is ever-present in this movie’s filmmaking, as Bentley consistently chooses shot compositions that emphasize the empty spaces where nature once thrived, never letting the viewer, or Grainier, forget the destruction he has caused.

Bentley and Kwedar deliver one of the year’s best screenplays, providing a fascinating character study of a man looking for a purpose in a world he feels helpless in.

Grainier works a job that he feels deep regret in, despite still actively taking part in it. He doesn’t know what else to do with his life. Very early on in the film Grainer sees his coworkers tragically throw a Chinese man off a bridge purely because of his race, himself entirely helpless to stop it.

Grainier feels like he has so little control in his life, and the deep sadness that comes with that is expertly represented throughout the screenplay.

One of the biggest strengths of “Train Dreams” is how much emotion it is able to pull out of the viewer.

Despite Grainier being a rather stoic person, it’s still easy to feel for him the entire film. His emotions were still masterfully conveyed through the writing.

The screenplay does an amazing job of making you deeply understand and sympathize with Grainier’s character and his motivations.

As time passes in the film, and you see how the world around Grainier affects him, it truly feels like you are going on a journey alongside him.

The way we follow Grainier throughout his life almost makes watching the movie feel like you are experiencing a piece of classic literature: simple and quiet, but unforgettably profound.

One of the reasons the viewer is able to get so emotionally invested in Grainier as a character is how brilliantly he is brought to life by Joel Edgerton.

Grainier goes through a range of emotions in this film — a lot of ups and downs. Every stage of Granier’s adult life is embodied flawlessly by Edgerton.

It is a performance that adds so much depth to the character. Edgerton portrays the depths of Grainier’s emotions through the way he speaks and carries himself. Despite being unfamiliar with Joel Edgerton’s work going into this movie, his performance makes his pick understandable.

Outside of Edgerton, no other cast members receive a ton of screentime, but several of them still succeed in making an impact despite that. Felicity Jones portrays Grainier’s love interest with a lovely amount of warmth and kindness that really sells the viewer on their relationship and the love they feel for each other.

With only two scenes, Kerry Condon shines as well, bringing all the depth and emotion of a lived-in person to a character we see so briefly.
The standout supporting performance of “Train Dreams” is William H. Macy, who plays Arn Peeples, a coworker of Grainier.

He is given a character full of both pain and beauty, which is wonderfully reflected in the performance. The charm and personality that Macy brings to the role is why Arn Peeples is one of the film’s most memorable characters, despite him only appearing in a handful of scenes.

This film includes a narration by William Patton, who brings the perfect energy to his vocal performance, further adding to the soulful tone of the film.

The credits feature an original song from Nick Cave that is named after the movie.

It is a fantastic song with beautiful lyrics that perfectly represent the themes and emotion of the film, as well as just being a lovely song to listen to.

“Train Dreams” is a slow, understated meditation on humanity’s never-ending search for meaning, but the film culminates in the most emotionally overwhelming conclusion possible.

It doesn’t answer the questions it presents on meaning and purpose, but it does make a fascinating statement on how we are somehow able to move forward even when it all feels meaningless.