Ain’t no rest for the weary kind. In Train Dreams, the newest Oscar bait coming out of Netflix, we follow an individual through the course of his life, and mange to do so in under two hours. That’s kind of part of the theme of Train Dreams, a film that seems to question not just how much control we have over our own destiny, but how significant we are in the grand scheme. So to summarize this life in less than two hours, also drives home the idea that perhaps we are only legends in our own minds, and our contribution is simply to the here and now.

Meditations on life don’t always work broadly on audiences, and I suspect Train Dreams, which Netflix acquired from Sundance, isn’t going to play to everyone either. Most lack the patience to spend even 100 minutes with Joel Edgerton, as Robert, a man experiencing progress, and somewhat unaware of its looming presence. Starting at the turn of the century, Robert is introduced as an orphan, who grows up into a laborer. An honest working man, who is empathetic enough to be deeply troubled by the racist attacks he witnessses on the Chinese workers as he joins a team building a railroad bridge. One fateful moment will stick with him forever. He witnesses a hate crime, and neither he nor the audience is ever given a reason or justification. Not that there can be one for a hate crime, but it heightens the randomness of the act, and Robert’s helplessness in stopping it.

He will eventually marry (to Felicity Jones), build a cabin in the woods, have a daughter, and begin a career in chopping down trees. It is here he picks up wisdom from another man of seeming insignificance (William H Macy), who seems to know that they are mainly temporary stewards of this earth, and biding their time. Carrie Condon also appears as a land surveyor, and Clifton Collin’s Jr plays the closest thing to a friend Robert has.

Clint Bentley’s direction of Train Dreams is simplistic and focused, putting forth an expertly paced journey through life and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. There are highs and lows, and he captures them all in such poetic realism. Even as Edgerton ages, it doesn’t feel like a gag, or a play for a makeup prize, but all part of the natural order of things. The score here is lovely, again providing this minimalist approach to the simple life.

I’m afraid too many won’t get, or will sleep on train Dreams, and Edgerton’s really internal performance will be ignored. he’s been solid for a long time, and being in every frame of this film, it highlights how he lives in his work. He doesn’t feel like he’s acting, but rather that he has become Robert. Excellent storytelling narration from Will Patton colors the moments as they come and go, reminding the audience of their significance or lack thereof.

The audio description here is just stunning as well. International Digital Center, Liz Gutman, and Jamie Lemcheck have assembled a thoughtful track that knows the strength lies often in the silence, or in the small beats. People shun performative description, and Lemcheck is an example of nuanced performance. Sometimes, the scene is so quiet, or cloaked in a morose overtone that Lemcheck seems to whisper the narration to you, as not to disturb anything. Gutman’s writing is complimentary of the scenic beauty, but also Edgerton’s performance, including a moment where he finds himself so consumed in his sadness that snot appears from his nose.

I loved this. I don’t think it is the best film of the year, but one of, and the beauty is in how complex it all is, while presenting itself as anything but. this might very well hear its name in the Oscar nominations.

Train Dreams struggles to define a man of no importance, while passing as a simple drama that is anything but. The themes running through this are quite complex, as it defines a life in just 102 minutes.

Fresh: Final Grade: 8.8/10