TRAIN DREAMS

Most times, adaptation is measured by what the movie changes from the book. But Train Dreams , from Denis Johnson’s acclaimed 2011 novella, focuses on evoking the source text in cinematic terms—the lyricism, pacing and omniscient plainspokenness that belies the mystery of characters’ existence. Clint Bentley (director of Jockey and co-writer of Sing Sing ) chronicles the life of woodsman Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) as fluidly edited incidents backed by third-person narration (by Will Patton). The relentless momentum of Grainier’s outdoor existence is heaven on the senses (look at all that natural light) and hell on the heart. From backwoods Idaho to downtown Spokane, logging season gives way to raising a family with his wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones), gives way to ra

See Full Page