If there is a lovelier, more heartfelt film than Train Dreams now playing in theaters I have yet to see it.
The protagonist is a wide-eyed innocent, an unworldly loner who venerates the gifts of Mother Nature, as well as her wrathful outbursts, searching for the meaning of it all. On a rare visit to church he meets a young woman (Felicity Jones) who characteristically has to hail him down in order to introduce herself. They fall in love and he builds them a house some distance from the nearest town, so that noise and “progress” are held at bay. When he’s broke he signs onto a logging crew and makes his living as a sawyer. They have a baby and he dotes on her, leaving periodically to find a new logging camp so he can earn some money.
He finds the loggers a rough-and-tumble crowd but acquires one friend, a garrulous character who loves to talk and relate his experiences whether anyone responds or not. This colorful old coot is played to perfection by William H. Macy.
Joel Edgerton is ideal in the leading role, his untrimmed beard reflecting his casual approach to life in the Pacific Northwest. The narration (movingly read by actor Will Patton, who also voices many audiobooks) informs us of the passage of time but also tells us Edgerton’s thoughts as he makes his way, meandering through forests and occasionally hopping a train.
I found all of this immensely appealing, quite in keeping with director and co-writer Clint Bentley’s other films (Jockey and Sing Sing). He and Greg Kwedar adapted the novella by Denis Johnson, which I am now impelled to read. What greater compliment could I pay a movie?
