Netflix’s New Historical Drama Debuts to Widespread Critical Acclaim
Netflix has added a new historical drama to its platform, and early reactions from critics suggest the streamer has another major hit on its hands.
The film, Train Dreams, arrived on Netflix after a short theatrical run in the United States, and it is already generating strong buzz thanks to its powerful storytelling and lead performance from Joel Edgerton.
The movie is directed by Clint Bentley and is based on Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name. It first screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival before its wider release later in the year.
According to Variety and other industry outlets, the film has been praised for both its direction and its emotional weight, with many reviewers singling out Edgerton’s work as one of the best of his career.
The story follows Robert Grainier, a quiet laborer helping build railroads during a time when America was rapidly changing. His long stretches away from home put a strain on his personal life, and the film traces how he tries to find meaning in a world moving faster than he can keep up with. Critics say the film stands out because of how much emotion is conveyed with very few words.
The final trailer for TRAIN DREAMS is here. Will have more to say about it very soon, but trust me when I say there's so much beauty to how this film is stitched together. It continues to play at The Grand Cinema for the next week and you should see it on the big screen if ya can pic.twitter.com/LlwlQ2Gqz3
— Chase 'Hutch' Hutchinson (@EclecticHutch) November 20, 2025
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds an approval rating of 94% from more than a hundred reviews. One critic described the film as “a gorgeous meditation on America… taking on mythic proportions while maintaining an intimate emotional delicacy.” Metacritic also reports an impressive score of 88, which reflects what they classify as “universal acclaim.”
Several reviews highlight how visually striking the film is, especially its wide shots of early 20th-century landscapes. One reviewer wrote that “Edgerton speaks with his eyes in the same way that Bentley and director of photography Adolpho Veloso affectionately point their cameras.” Another added that Edgerton’s work in this film is the result of years of refining his craft, saying “he puts on an acting clinic.”
Perhaps the most telling praise comes from a critic who explained why the story resonates so deeply, calling Grainier “a nobody, and yet within him is contained the full breadth of human emotion.”
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