Train Dreams director and cowriter Clint Bentley is humbly soaking up accolades from his film heroes, and particularly the touching response from viewers, on his latest feature. The American period drama — cowritten with Greg Kwedar and adapted from the novella by Denis Johnson — tells the fictional story of Robert Grainier (played by Joel Edgerton), a logger in the Pacific Northwest coping with profound grief after monumental loss.
Bentley caught up with GoldDerby at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch on Jan. 11. The Netflix film, which debuted in November, is up for Best Feature, Best Cinematography (Adolpho Veloso), Best Performance (Edgerton), and Best Director for the Florida-born Bentley, who grew up on a cattle ranch. The awards ceremony is set for Feb. 15.
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“I love the film and believed in it. … I felt like it would resonate, but not on this level,” Bentley told Gold Derby at the London West Hollywood.
Clint BentleyRodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
At Sunday’s Golden Globes, Train Dreams is up for Best Performance by a Male Actor (Edgerton) and Best Original Song, “Train Dreams” by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner. The film, which has earned five Critics’ Choice nominations, has been shortlisted in three categories for the 98th Oscars: Cinematography, Music (Original Score), and Music (Best Song), and, per the Gold Derby odds, is projected to be nominated for Best Picture and adapted screenplay.
Bentley, who also cowrote the Oscar-nominated film Sing Sing (2023) with Kwedar, says he’ll remember the most “impactful” reactions to his latest work.
“Minnie Driver sent me a note, and I’ve been a fan of hers forever. [Director] Alejandro Iñárritu sent a note to Bryce Dessner, our composer, about how much he loved the film. It’s been wild.”
“Guillermo del Toro as well,” Bentley added of the Frankenstein and The Shape of Water filmmaker. “He’s been very sweet, too, not only to praise, but to check in on me, see how I’m doing with all this,” as it can be “a little overwhelming,” Bentley admitted.
While acknowledgment from “filmmakers and actors” and people he “respects and admires” has been fun, reactions from everyday viewers particularly resonate with him. Bentley says he and his team get messages like, “’I lost my child last year’ or ‘I lost a spouse and this movie helped me process through it.’ And that, honestly, means as much as hearing from a hero.”
A bonus perk for the festivities in Hollywood, Bentley is enjoying the camaraderie.
“The nice thing with celebrating is — as a crew, we don’t get to get together that much. Adolpho lives in Portugal. I live in Dallas. Bryce Dessner lives in France, Greg Kwedar and I don’t live close to each other. And so just being able to be together and like, hang out and have a drink at the end of the night, that’s been the sweetest thing. It’s an excuse to hang out with your friends.”
Along with Bentley and Edgerton, Saturday’s brunch also attracted fellow nominees Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Jane Levy (A Little Prayer), Ethan Hawke (The Lowdown), Tig Notaro (Come See Me in the Good Light), Tessa Thompson (Hedda), Cherien Dabis (All That’s Left of You), and Tony Benna (director of André Is an Idiot), who gathered on the rooftop of the Sunset Strip hotel for the special celebration.
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