Train Dreams (2025)
Fallen trees don’t grow back.
Presentation:
From the writer of Sing Sing comes another heartfelt story of a man dealing with tragedy. It’s somewhere in between Terrence Malick, Chloe Zhao and Wim Wenders. I think it is nearly entirely shot with natural lighting at sunset, blue hour and camp fire. As a result it feels very tranquil though I think it was overdone. The cinematography is flare happy with zooms and shallow depth of field. To be honest, I didn’t really like the image quality, which felt very digital and needlessly blurry. What matters is the story and I have mixed things to say. I felt something deep in this film and related to a lot of it, but there’s a lot of distracting things thrown in there like environmental and immigration themes, which took me for a loop. I didn’t realize what time period this was until maybe 1 hour in. It’s not exactly bittersweet, I think it is like peaceful sad.
Conclusion:
Though beautiful, it’s really hard not to compare this to greater films like Hidden Life, Perfect Days or even Nomadland /The Last Rider. By trying to be all 3, I personally felt it didn’t offer anything unique other than the beloved source material. I think a lot of people will be moved by this Netflix film, which does occasionally release gems amongst the slop. If only they stopped messing with the frame rates. Poignant and touching, bring out the tissues for this spiritual cleansing.
Recommendations
Lee Chang-dong finds humanity where no one else does.