Joel Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier, a logger-railroad worker carving a life in the early 20th-century American West in the drama film Train Dreams.
Alongside him the cast includes Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Clifton Collins Jr., with narration by Will Patton.
The film is based on the 2011 novella of the same name by Denis Johnson.
Directed by Clint Bentley, Train Dreams first premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival; and opens in limited U.S. theaters on November 7, 2025, before streaming worldwide on Netflix beginning November 21, 2025.
Here is the synopsis via Netflix Tudum: Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th-century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality, and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.
Director Clint Bentley, in conversation with Netflix’s Tudum said, “It’s a really special story and it feels very unique in that it is just about this one person’s life.”
He added, “This very simple life. Robert Grainier doesn’t do anything that really alters the course of history — he doesn’t fight in some great battle or create some invention that changes people’s lives, and yet he lives a very deep and rich life.”
Watch the official trailer for Train Dreams above.
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