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<\/p>\nTrain 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 \u2014 cowritten with Greg Kwedar and adapted from the novella by Denis Johnson \u2014 tells the fictional story of Robert Grainier (played by Joel Edgerton), a logger in the Pacific Northwest coping with profound grief after monumental loss.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI love the film and believed in it. \u2026 I felt like it would resonate, but not on this level,\u201d Bentley told Gold Derby at the London West Hollywood.<\/p>\n
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Clint BentleyRodin Eckenroth\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
At Sunday\u2019s Golden Globes, Train Dreams is up for Best Performance by a Male Actor (Edgerton) and Best Original Song, \u201cTrain Dreams\u201d by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner. The film, which has earned five Critics\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Bentley, who also cowrote the Oscar-nominated film Sing Sing (2023) with Kwedar, says he\u2019ll remember the most \u201cimpactful\u201d reactions to his latest work.<\/p>\n
\u201cMinnie Driver sent me a note, and I’ve been a fan of hers forever. [Director] Alejandro I\u00f1\u00e1rritu sent a note to Bryce Dessner, our composer, about how much he loved the film. It’s been wild.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGuillermo del Toro as well,\u201d Bentley added of the Frankenstein and The Shape of Water filmmaker. \u201cHe’s been very sweet, too, not only to praise, but to check in on me, see how I’m doing with all this,\u201d as it can be \u201ca little overwhelming,\u201d Bentley admitted.<\/p>\n
While acknowledgment from \u201cfilmmakers and actors\u201d and people he \u201crespects and admires\u201d has been fun, reactions from everyday viewers particularly resonate with him. Bentley says he and his team get messages like, \u201c\u2019I lost my child last year\u2019 or \u2018I lost a spouse and this movie helped me process through it.\u2019 And that, honestly, means as much as hearing from a hero.\u201d<\/p>\n
A bonus perk for the festivities in Hollywood, Bentley is enjoying the camaraderie.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nice thing with celebrating is \u2014 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\u2019s an excuse to hang out with your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with Bentley and Edgerton, Saturday\u2019s brunch also attracted fellow nominees Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I\u2019d 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\u2019s Left of You), and Tony Benna (director of Andr\u00e9 Is an Idiot), who gathered on the rooftop of the Sunset Strip hotel for the special celebration.<\/p>\n
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