Why you shouldn't scroll through 'Train Dreams'

While "Train Dreams" is slated for a streaming release via Netflix on Nov. 21, this is not a movie that pairs well with scrolling through social media on your phone. "Train Dreams" requires your full attention.

"Train Dreams" is primarily a film for the senses: To hear the sounds of nature and gaze at the cinematography. The visuals turn Northwest forests into main characters. Do not expect a straightforward story with plot points holding your hand along the way. "Meditative" is a word that will often be used to describe this movie that fits well within the artsy film nerd niche. On a scale of "Hell on Wheels" to "Lost in Translation," this film leans toward the latter.

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Every camera angle is likely meant to convey as much as a line of dialogue. The narrator could say that this film is about connections that linger through time, from human contact to the vast contributions of common people living out their lives, all woven across harsh realities and joyful simple existence. Or, the audience can understand this via an impressive view of the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

"Train Dreams" is based on an award-winning 2011 novella of the same name by late author Denis Johnson. Just at the book received considerable praise, the film adaptation is primed for rave reviews.

The movie tells the life story of Robert Grainier, a simple man living through the first half of the 1900s. The contributions of such people during their time were significant, but also impermanent. Haunted by an incident working a railroad job in 1917, Grainier continues to work the Northwest wilderness with small logging crews. He experiences an array of characters chopping and sawing at his side. It's a life he wouldn't think twice about if not for the love of his wife and daughter. Each job takes him far away from home, and it's dangerous work. Death on the job is common.

Despite having little reason, or perhaps ability, to connect with the world, Grainier continues to live, love, work, lose, and collect a few friends. He takes each day merely putting one foot in front of the other as the world rapidly changes. Grainier starts his life (and spends much of it) in an America set to the pace of a horse and buggy. By the end of his life, astronauts are launching into space while cars speed along the surface of the Earth. Grainier remains.

"Train Dreams" will likely prompt one of two reactions. Cinephiles will be enamored with actor Joel Edgerton, who fills the unassuming Robert Grainier with curious depth and greater meaning. He, like this story, is the embodiment of the old adage, "still waters run deep." They will also be entranced by the visual majesty of Washington state that is ever-present on the screen. Rarely is the Pacific Northwest represented so well and beautifully.

And then there will be others whose reaction will be akin to Elaine Benes being forced to watch "The English Patient." (Spoiler alert: She didn't like the movie.)

Of course, "The English Patient" swept film awards and won the 1996 Oscar for best picture. The current buzz among critics and the film industry is that "Train Dreams" is on a similar track (it currently has a Rotten Tomato score of 95%).

Just as the written story paints a picture of the Pacific Northwest in the early 1900s, every scene in this film could be a work of art on its own. Some scenes are brief stories unto themselves, shot in a single frame. It's as if you're looking at an old logging photo hanging in The Spar in Olympia (or any logging-themed pub throughout our area) and watching it come to life, providing greater understanding of the history beneath it all.

Which is why a film like "Lost in Translation" comes to mind when watching a movie like "Train Dreams," where every detail — from the visuals to the dialogue — is meant to convey deeper themes. Sure, the story is what unfolds before you, but it's also about something more, which you'll have to meditate on.

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Aside from the visuals, what is likely to garner the most attention is the acting. No character is ever wasted. Dialogue is not taken for granted. From William H. Macy to Felicity Jones and the haunting Alfred Hsing, nobody passes through Grainier's life without leaving an impression. Audiences will tune into their brief stories, perhaps only breaking to wonder, "Wait, is that Mark Brendanawicz from 'Parks and Rec'?!"

Edgerton in the lead role of Robert Grainier is impressive. There are no big show-stopping speeches, nor does he slowly walk away from an explosion. But a look across Grainer's face alone can tell the entire story of "Train Dreams".

"Train Dreams" slowly rolled through 2025, making stops at film festivals along the way. After it stunned audiences at Sundance, Netflix beat out all other interested parties and paid a hefty price for it. While the movie has enjoyed a limited theatrical release through early November (to make the award gods happy), it will reach its largest audience when Netflix starts streaming it on Nov. 21.

This was among the first films to benefit from Washington's upgraded film incentive, designed to make local filmmaking more financially feasible and to attract movie projects to the state. With the success of this movie, more producers could start considering Washington locales for future projects.

Train Dreams

3.5/5 stars

Screen or stream? Stream ... because you likely won't have a choice when Netflix releases it on Nov. 21. However, if you do have an opportunity to watch this movie in a theater during its limited release, do so. The scenic visuals are worth the big screen, and again, you don't want your phone distracting you during this movie.

Rated PG-13: The rating is more about mature topics, like loneliness, death, sex, and explaining to kids how immigrants were treated while building the railroads.

Good for kids? Kids will be bored. There's only one explosion and it ain't that big.