Clint Bentley, director of the acclaimed film Train Dreams, shares insights into adapting Denis Johnson’s novella and navigating awards season. The movie, starring Joel Edgerton, has garnered critical praise and multiple nominations following its Sundance premiere. Bentley emphasizes the film's exploration of grief and time in a natural Pacific Northwest setting.
Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams, an adaptation of Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella, brings to life the story of early 20th-century loggers and railroad workers in the Pacific Northwest. Producers Ashley Schlaifer, Will Janowitz, and Marissa McMahon selected Bentley after discovering his feature directorial debut, Jockey. Bentley, along with co-writer Greg Kweder, crafted the screenplay, with Joel Edgerton starring as the empathetic logger Robert Grainier and also producing. Edgerton attached himself to the project early, taking a leap of faith before financing was secured.
The film was shot nearly 99% in natural light, making elements like sunsets, forest fires, and fierce winds supporting characters that highlight humanity’s connection to nature. Bentley reteamed with cinematographer Adolpho Veloso from Jockey and composer Bryce Dessner. Veloso’s background in documentaries, such as On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace, influenced the film’s visual poetry, evoking Caravaggio-like scenes. Dessner’s chamber score of strings, piano, and woodwinds mirrors the rugged exteriors.
Bentley describes the novella as “a small container” that captures “an entire life … watching time go by,” allowing exploration of “grief and time passing and love and all these bigger things.” The film premiered at Sundance a year ago, where Netflix acquired it for the high-teen millions. It holds 95% from critics and 90% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Train Dreams has been shortlisted for Oscars in Cinematography, Original Score, and the original song “Train Dreams,” performed and co-written by Nick Cave. It won Best Cinematography at the Critics Choice Awards, earned four Independent Spirit Award nominations, and received two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for Edgerton and Best Original Song. Despite the buzz, Bentley keeps perspective: “I’m not looking at this as a stepping stone to some big tentpole.”
