#TIFF25: “TRAIN DREAMS” REVIEW

By Nicholas Porteous

Train Dreams is the story of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a guy from the early 1900s. He cuts down trees. He gets married. He has a kid. He lives a life. I’m not going to get any more specific than that because you really need to see Train Dreams to uncover its indescribable depths. It’s about the inherent richness of a long life, and the way things come together, or the way they don’t. It’s poetic, soulful, and intent on defying any pat explanation for a lifetime of experiences.

A substantial element of the beauty of Train Dreams is its gorgeous cinematography. Director Clint Bentley uses a square frame which feels consistently generous, placing the characters among their breathtaking landscapes and hand-built interiors. Full-on close-ups are rare. These people feel part of their surroundings–organic as the trees. There’s a sensual quality to Train Dreams that echoes off the screen. I often felt as though I was sitting a few feet from a warm fire, with the wind at my back, and I could practically breathe the forest air, pet the dog fur, smell the snow.

It’s a vastly more epic movie than its runtime would suggest. At a mere 1 hour 42 minutes, Train Dreams somehow achieves a perfect balance of taking its time, letting every scene breathe, while maintaining a pace that feels like life flashing before your eyes.

Edgerton gives Grainier a deep and necessary interiority. He’s not a character who tends to verbalize, but on most occasions his eyes and breath say more than words could. Felicity Jones (as Gladys) is a wonderful partner to Edgerton. Their relationship feels as fresh in the early scenes as it does lived-in as they grow their family. William H. Macy and Kerry Condon also feel fully realized, even in their relatively shorter time on screen.

Train Dreams is a bounteous, cinematic gift. Take the journey. You’ll be richer for it.

Train Dreams screens at TIFF ’25:

Wed. Sept 10 at 12:15 PM and 3:45 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Fri. Sept 12 at 12:45 PM at TIFF Lightbox

#TIFF25: DAY FOUR SIGHTINGS – ANGELINA JOLIE, DUSTIN HOFFMAN, KERRY CONDON, JUNE SQUIBB, LEO WOODALL, RAMI MALEK, WAGNER MOURA AND MORE

we don’t believe we’ve finally made it through the first weekend of TIFF, but make no mistake, we’re still reaching for the peak! tiff50 monday is expected to be the biggest day of the festival with both FRANKENSTEIN and THE SMASHING MACHINE set to bow.

some highlights from day four:

•kerry condon at tiff for train dreams

•dustin hoffman and leo woodall at tiff for tuner

•alyvia alyn lind at tiff for wayward

•toni collette at tiff for wayward

•sarah gadon at tiff for wayward

•paul mescal at tiff for hamnet

•june squibb at tiff for eleanor the great

•édgar ramirez at tiff for it would be night in caracas

•wagner moura at tiff for the secret agent

•angelina jolie at tiff for couture

•rami malek, richard e. grant, leo woodall (with meghann fahy), james vanderbilt at tiff for nuremberg

highlights:

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angelina content:

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nuremberg afterparty:

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the team also was thrilled to visit the much-talked-about CRITERION CLOSET pop-up, which runs only through today! it was epic!

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(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR LUCASFILM’S “STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW”

Disney+ released a brand-new trailer Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” a fun and exciting, original, live-action series starring Jude Law as a mysterious character (“Jod”) whose true motives are shrouded in mystery.

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

The series stars Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon and Nick Frost. Episodes are directed by Jon Watts, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard and Lee Isaac Chung,

Jon Watts and Christopher Ford are the head writers and also serve as executive producers along with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. Chris Buongiorno, Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck are the co-executive producers, and Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki are the producers.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” launches on Monday, December 2, the first two episodes arriving at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST