AwardsWatch - First Teaser for Netflix’s ‘Train Dreams’ starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones

First Teaser for Netflix’s ‘Train Dreams’ starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones

Netflix has released the first trailer for Train Dreams, starring Joel Edgerton as well as Academy Award nominees Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, and William H. Macy.

Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century. The film is directed by Clint Bentley from a script he wrote with Greg Kwedar, reuniting the duo after their successful, Academy Award nomination collaboration on Kwedar’s film Sing Sing.

In our review out of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, our own Alejandra Martinez described Train Dreams as a film that “lingers in the mind long after its over,” one that “stands alone as its own kind of dream with its lyrical imagery and unforgettable characters.” In doing this, she proclaimed that Bentley and his team ground their film in “humanism,” allowing for “a quiet, average life the chance to be explored on a grand scale.”

A Note From Director Clint Bentley:

“I think most of us will never have some great impact on history and yet we will lead very, very deep
and beautiful lives. There’s something very special about [Robert Grainier’s] story in that it is so
specific to this one person’s life, and yet there’s a universality to it of a person trying to navigate a world
that’s changing around them constantly — kind of leaving you behind, even as you’re still alive.”

Train Dreams makes its international premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The film will be released in select theaters on November 7 and premieres on Netflix on November 21.

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Ryan McQuade

Ryan McQuade is the AwardsWatch Executive Editor and a film-obsessed writer in San Antonio, Texas. Raised on musicals, westerns, and James Bond, his taste in cinema is extremely versatile. He’s extremely fond of independent releases and director’s passion projects. Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast. He also is co-host of the Director Watch podcast. When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. You can follow him on Twitter at @ryanmcquade77.