‘Train Dreams’ opens Lone Star Film Festival with big praise and even bigger emotion
The 19th annual Lone Star Film Festival kicked off with a bang the evening of Thursday, Oct. 30, courtesy of Netflix, writer and Fort Worth native Greg Kwedar and Dallas-based director Clint Bentley.
Bentley’s latest film “Train Dreams” (co-written with Kwedar) was the festival’s opening night film, a special out-of-competition screening at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. It’s just one of more than 80 films screening at the festival, which runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5.
A nearly sold-out crowd braved the chilly weather to watch the 102-minute drama based on Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name.
“’Train Dreams’ is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century,” the film’s synopsis reads.
Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, Clifton Collins Jr. and William H. Macy also star.
‘Train Dreams’ and Texas roots
As the clock struck 7 p.m., festival executive director Chad Mathews made his way down to the front of the theater.
He welcomed patrons and informed them that this was this fourth film of Kwedar’s and Bentley’s to play at the festival. The duo’s “Transpecos” played in 2016, “Jockey” in 2021 and “Sing Sing” last year.
Bentley was originally supposed to attend the festival and participate in a Q&A after. Unfortunately, his schedule changed and was unable to attend.
“We’re really excited about showcasing artists that are meaningful to our organization [and] have Texas roots,” Mathews said.
Bentley and Kwedar are creative partners, who co-write every film together but trade off directing duties.
For “Train Dreams,” Bently directed the feature after Kwedar helmed “Sing Sing.” The duo’s next project, a Chicago-set romance titled “Saturn Return,” is currently filming in the Windy City.
“Train Dreams” premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and was quickly purchased for distribution by Netflix. The streamer will release the film in select theaters on Nov. 7 and on its streaming service a couple of weeks later on Nov. 21.
As the lights came up, the Fort Worth theater erupted with applause as the duo’s name flashed across the credits. A quick peek around the auditorium saw teary eyes and admiring faces.
“Train Dreams” is about life, death and everything in between. For the hometown crowd, it was food for the soul.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
