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Train Dreams Opens in Theaters to Strong Reviews Ahead of Netflix Release

Reviews highlight Joel Edgerton’s performance as the Denis Johnson adaptation draws awards-season attention.

Overview

  • Limited U.S. theatrical rollout begins Nov. 7, with streaming on Netflix set for Nov. 21.
  • Critics call Joel Edgerton’s turn a career best, with Will Patton’s voiceover widely cited as a standout.
  • Adolpho Veloso’s boxy 3:2 cinematography and Bryce Dessner’s score, including an end-credits song with Nick Cave, earn consistent praise.
  • The film adapts Denis Johnson’s novella under director Clint Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar, tracing a logger’s life in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Coverage notes representational limits around the killing of a Chinese railroad worker and frames the brief theatrical window as part of Netflix’s awards-focused strategy after a reported high-teen-millions Sundance deal.