Netflix's new 95%-rated movie might have passed you by – don't miss it
Train Dreams is a beautiful little thing
The holidays are a time to luxuriate in having less to do than normal, and that typically means watching a whole heap of content – with all of us making the most of our streaming subscriptions for once. Still, that also means that plenty of people arguably take the easy way out and watch a bunch of stuff that isn't particularly demanding or new.
It stars Joel Edgerton in what might just be a career-best performance as Robert Grainier, a relatively ordinary man whose life acts as a snapshot of American history at a time of immense change. He's born at a time when the rail network was still being built on the frontiers, working as a logger for much of his life.
By the time he dies, though, it's the 1960s and man is in space – summing up an almost outrageous amount of technological and social progress, much of which has passed him by as he recovers from personal tragedy in his own way. It's a pretty all-encompassing tale, but a very elegant and pared-back film despite that, running well under two hours (which it can often help to know in advance).
Crucially, this is a gorgeous film to look at – shot in an almost IMAX-like squared-off format, which really helps with the amount of forestry on show. Verticality is a key part of the awe of trees, after all, and those trees play huge roles in the stories that unfold around Grainier and involving him.
It's as naturalistic a movie as Netflix has made in a long time, I'd say, and if you haven't already got it on your watchlist, then this is the perfect time to change that. Just be prepared – I'll be candid and say that this is a bit of a tearjerker, although I think it's gentle enough for that not to put people off.
If my recommendation isn't enough, though, it's worth pointing out that the movie is sitting on a critics' score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, underlining that it's quietly gone down extremely well. Don't be surprised if it gets some Oscar nods in a few weeks, too.
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