The story focuses on a man named Robert Grainier living in the Pacific Northwest during the early 20^th century. He was orphaned as a child, dropped out of school, and struggled to get through life. Then he met this woman named Gladys Olding. The two get married and have a daughter called Kate. They also enjoy going to church.

At some point, Robert works on a railroad for the Spokane International Railway. But he sees a Chinese man getting taken away and doesn’t understand why.

Robert spends a lot of time with his wife and infant daughter. They form family bonds together in their home and outside.

Regardless of his happy family life, though, Robert has flashbacks of the Chinese guy. He has trouble understanding why.

A little time has passed. Kate is now a toddler who is exploring what’s around her and learning new words. Robert works as a seasonal logger. Sometime during his career, he does not get to see Gladys or Kate.

Then one day, without warning, a tree kills a bunch of men, including an elderly one. That night, a memorial is held for him.

Robert still has a tough time adjusting to life without his family. On the bright side, however, he encounters a bunch of friendly dogs and forms bonds with them.

Yet things are getting rougher for him since the world around him is changing. What will happen next?

I am going to admit that this movie did not engage me that much. A lot of it was focused on backstories and setting up. There was very little story happening for a while.

A lot of the setup included time with Robert and his family. I will say that I actually did admire that. His relationships with both his wife and child were sweet. I enjoyed seeing Kate go from infant to toddler and learn more about what is around her.

I also loved Robert’s bonds with the dogs. It was nice and therapeutic seeing him hold and pet them.

The pacing also wasn’t that slow. It moved at a decent speed.

The issue was how quiet the characters were and how there was too much narration and setting up. I was hoping for more tension and time in the main story.

I’ll confess that I stopped at the midpoint of the film. Some of it did get better, but not enough for me to continue.

Overall, I thought Train Dreams was just okay. Is it worth watching? Maybe, depending on how you handle the content.

But I give this film 3 out of 5 stars.

Please note: If you are interested in watching this movie, it is only available on Netflix.