How Joel Edgerton Delivers a Devastating Performance in “Train Dreams”

This IndieWire Filmmakers in Focus video, created in collaboration with Netflix, takes viewers inside Clint Bentley’s adaptation of Denis Johnson’s “Train Dreams.” The film centers on the quiet emotional world of Grainier, a man who rarely speaks, and Bentley explains why Joel Edgerton was the only actor who could bring this role to life.

“Joel is someone who can do so much with so little,” Bentley tells IndieWire. “With just a glance, he can break your heart. These quiet performances, the ones that are not loud or showy, are the ones that stay with me.”

Bentley discusses how he preserved elements of Johnson’s prose through voiceover performed by actor Will Patton, and how Edgerton captured the deep, unspoken layers of Grainier’s emotional life.

He also reveals the creative challenges behind portraying the epic natural world of “Train Dreams” on an indie scale. Through practical production design, smart problem solving, and minimal visual effects, Bentley and his team were able to ethically capture the cutting of massive, centuries-old trees and the raw power of the landscape around them.

Watch the full conversation to see how the filmmakers behind “Train Dreams” brought subtle emotion, intimate character work, and ambitious craft to the screen.

IndieWire: Filmmakers in Focus is presented in partnership with Netflix.

Video Team

Executive Producer/Co-Director
Mary Pelloni

Co-Director & Producer
Trevor Wallace

Social Media Producer
Jordan Snyder

Director of Photography
Bizz DeCrenza
Jon Johnidis

Camera Operators
Marcus Bleecker
Erik Somwaru
Dom Azoto

Assistant Camera
Eric Yoo

Sound Mixer
Scott Bardolf

Editor
Steve Cameron