Every now and then, a movie comes around and completely knocks your socks off. That recently happened when I finally got around to watching Train Dreams after the new Netflix original landed on the 2025 movie schedule. A masterful work of art by director Clint Bentley, this melancholic and meditative story about a logger (played by Joel Edgerton) overcoming the brutality of nature and personal tragedy resonated with more than most films this year, for a myriad of reasons.
Though I was wrapped up in the film’s decades-spanning story, the stunning visuals, and some of the best narration I’ve heard in years (Will Patton is incredible in this capacity), I kept thinking about a classic Russian movie and how similar they were. Turns out, it was no coincidence….
