by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Man, I am on a plane going to a wedding. It is six in the morning. I gladly took the assignment of reviewing Train Dreams this month, largely because I’m a fan of Joel Edgerton. Yet here I am feeling touched by a movie that meanders through 40 years of a man’s life. Moved by the story’s honesty about the world’s nature to be ever-changing, and how that change can mean little to someone whose whole world belongs in one place and time. Train Dreams is an epic tale in personal scope.
In the early to mid 1900s, a man named Robert (Edgerton) lives a quiet life as a logger in the Pacific Northwest. With no family to hail from, he’s a kind of lost soul who moves from job to job. But there are still those who leave an impact on his life. A Chinese immigrant worker named Fu Sheng (Alfred Hsing), who is almost haunting Robert. Elderly laborer Arn (William H. Macy) shows Robert empathy, while not hiding the harsh reality of their lifestyle. In his old age, Robert meets a kind soul named Claire (Kerry Condon). After tragedy, Robert befriends Native American Boomer (Clifton Collins Jr.). Most importantly, Robert finds the most joy when he’s with the love of his life Gladys (Felicity Jones). Their child Kate (Zoe Rose Short) is a beautiful reminder to Robert that he is not alone, and he tried to do something good with his life.
My biggest issue with the movie lies in the use of the runtime, and how it jumps multiple decades of Robert’s life. I was glad to learn about it without question, but showing all those years leaves a lot of room needed for filler, and some of the plot choices near the end are a bit ridiculous.
Building a movie around a single role like Robert could be perceived as a play for awards gold. But there is something quiet to his performance that does not lend itself to the overly bombastic Oscar winners of the last 90 years. Our star is not in your face, or begging for an audience to praise his acting with emotional swings. Edgerton just embodies an otherwise ordinary man over the years of his life. Melting into the character, a quiet strength is found in seeing Edgerton put on Robert’s work boots everyday. He brings a dignity to a blue collar role.
Dignity really does describe this movie well. Even though we see men working hard and getting down and dirty, it’s never looked down on. Hard work does not mean sweating through your blue jeans. And the cinematography focuses on exactly where these guys are working hard: the beautiful American forests. Whether trying to or not, every single shot in this movie could be a prize-winning picture. The greens pop off the screen tremendously well. Shoot, this made me want to schedule my next vacation up in Oregon.
In line with that theme of dignity, we are allowed to look at Robert go through both joy and tragedy. His life is like any others in that he has trials that he will only understand. Since a lot of this movie is just Robert in the wilderness chipping down trees, his reflection on his life is more introspective. If he isn’t alone and on the job, the only time he lets his walls down is when he’s just with Gladys. And those being his ways of getting through the day is more reflective of real life than some hoity-toity drama where everyone screams at each other. Yes, we all have breaking points. But letting us sit with Robert as he processes what’s happened allows us to identify with that feeling of quiet dignity. I’m thankful for that.
Rating: High Side of Liked It
Train Dreams is currently streaming on Netflix
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