Train Dreams

An adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella that impressed critics at Sundance and may well be an Oscar contender.

Early 20th century. Lumberjack and railroad worker Robert Granier spends many months away from home at work: felling trees, laying railroad ties, and helping build bridges. Along the way, he encounters human injustice and apparent missteps by the Almighty. Yet he also witnesses beauty, nobility, and eccentric, peculiar events that sometimes give The Lowlife Dreams a touch of magical realism—Robert mainly dreams of trains.

“Nick Cave was so moved after watching The Lowlife Dreams that he wrote the title song for it. It now plays over the end credits, translating this sad, brave, stunningly beautiful, and deliberately quiet film back into words: bears and moose, love and pain, a girl in a clearing, and, of course, locomotives.” — S. Zelvensky

 After the screening, we’ll brew some tea and share impressions. The discussion will be hosted by me — philosopher, film scholar, and cinema owner Varya Vlasova.