Netflix buys the drama of Joel Edgerton Sundance ‘Train Dreams’

“Train Dreams”, a lyrical drama about a recorder whose work that develops the American railway maintains it to work in isolation, sold in Netflix. The film has earned elegant criticism after making its debut at the following this year film Film Festival, with Variety Peter Debruge calls him a “modest monument” and praise him to “create a disc that history has missed in a way”.

Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones play in “Train Dreams”, which is adapted from Denis Johnson’s novel in 2011. Clint Bentley, who supervised the Drama of Sundance 2021 “Jockey”, directed the film and co-wrote the script With Greg Kwedar. The two recently collaborated with the nominated Oscar script for “Sing Sing”. Kerry Condon, William H. Macy and Clifton Collins Jr., who played in “Jockey”, completes the cast of “Train Dreams”.

“Train Dreams” was fully funded by Black Bear, the production company which also funded “Sing Sing”, so this project extends their relationship with filmmakers. Black Bear and Kamala Films produced the film with Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler as producers.

It was a slow market in Sundance, but things are starting to warm up. “Together”, a bloody horror film with Dave Franco and Alison Brie, sold in Neon for $ 17 million and several other titles arouse the interest of buyers. But some independent studios seem to be wary of paying too much for the films which, while artistically stirring, lack commercial viability, in particular with the box office in a rut.

“Train Dreams”, however, would have a reward potential. In his review, Variety‘S Debruge said that the film recalled the work of Terrence Malick. “Bentley does for the North West Pacific what” Days of Heaven “did for Texas Panhandle,” he wrote. “It is not because Malick’s influence does not mean that Bentley has not found his own vocabulary to tell (this) story.”

WME Independent represented the filmmakers of the sale.