Story perspectives

Train Dreams: Sundance Hit Nominated for Multiple Awards

1/12/2026

Summary

Story summary

Train Dreams is a Netflix period drama directed by Clint Bentley and adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella.
The film stars Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, and Kerry Condon.
Train Dreams debuted at Sundance and earned a Best Picture nomination from the Producers Guild of America, along with nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
The screenplay is co-written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, and it won the National Board of Review award while earning nominations at the Gotham Awards and USC Scripters.
The film follows Robert Grainier, a laborer in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest, exploring love, loss, and change.

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Story summary

Train Dreams is a Netflix period drama directed by Clint Bentley and adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella.
The film stars Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, and Kerry Condon.
Train Dreams debuted at Sundance and earned a Best Picture nomination from the Producers Guild of America, along with nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
The screenplay is co-written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, and it won the National Board of Review award while earning nominations at the Gotham Awards and USC Scripters.
The film follows Robert Grainier, a laborer in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest, exploring love, loss, and change.