While Clint Bentley’s adaptation of Train Dreams certainly has humanity, it struggles to find balance between intimate storytelling and the epic scope.

Nothing lasts, everything fades, and all is ultimately forgotten, and yet if Train Dreams roots itself in that melancholic viewpoint, it also fights against such inevitability by remembering a life overlooked.

Acquired by Netflix in a multi-million dollar deal, 'Train Dreams' with Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones might be Sundance's biggest breakout.

Train Dreams,” a lyrical drama about a logger whose work developing America’s railroad keeps him laboring in isolation, has sold to Netflix. The film earned rave reviews after debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival,

Train Dreams,” the film shot in Spokane and adapted from a novel set in the Idaho Panhandle, has been purchased by Netflix.

Clint Bentley translates Denis Johnson’s novella into a meditative study of America’s Puritan work ethic, starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones.

Clint Bentley’s latest film, "Train Dreams," is a deeply felt, must-see historical drama starring Joel Edgerton

Eva Victor appears in Sorry, Baby by Eva Victor, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Mia Cioffy Henry.

Netflix is buying the Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones drama Train Dreams. Sources tell us that the deal was in the high teen millions. Pic is based on the 2011 Denis Johnson novella and directed by Academy Award-nominee Clint Bentley.