Train Dreams Invites Us to Ponder the Great Mystery

Time, Part I: Now

“He created the moon to mark the seasons.
and the sun knows when it sets.” —Psalm 104:19

“When he misjudged all his senses of up and down, he finally felt connected to everything.”train dream

In our day and age, it is very difficult to look beyond what is right in front of us. Every day, headlines about violence are reported around the world and even closer to home. Every time we look at our screens, we are inspired to respond to these blatant evils by venting our frustrations into the cracks of social media rather than through effective action and community engagement. There are no distant thoughts: “What will happen next year?” “What will happen in the next few hours?” It’s very urgent. It’s hard to differentiate between seasons when every day feels so important.

days are badthat’s for sure. But we hardly know how to make the most of our opportunities. I’m anxious about what seems like an eternal gift. Some refer to our experience as follows: current oppression. in his essay Postmodernism, or the cultural logic of late capitalismFrederick Jameson describes it as a “decline of historicity” that affects our sense of time. The present has expanded, Jameson writes, “suddenly swallowing us up,” making it difficult to understand how the past and future relate to this moment. The intensity of the present robs us of the ability to act in time, to “make it a space of practice.” We have misjudged our entire sense of time, and despite our connection to all of time, somehow we are only becoming more and more alienated.

Screens and social media play a huge role, but it’s not just about screens and social media. we are losing sight of what to do activity How do we live in the world, create and express the meaning of history? Perhaps we can only see some meaning in the sharpest actions, oscillating between revolutionary fervor and helpless languor. I no longer have the awareness that long obedience in the same direction Eugene Peterson recommended that. When everything is urgent, when everything matters this momentwhat good is a small act of vitality or care? we have lost sight of what it means cultivate.

The past year of film has brought us many films that boldly speak to our current moment, including many great works. Battles continue one after another, it was just an accident, sinnereven superman They confronted the oppression and injustice of those in power head-on, and rarely sought subtlety in the process. We need this clarion call, but we also need a chance to breathe. That’s the thing about Clint Bentley. train dream Such an absorbent and nourishing film. It’s quiet, but not light. It’s nice, but that doesn’t make it any less painful than other movies. It is a call to step back and meditate on space and time, life and death, and the great mysteries of all things.

Based on Dennis Johnson’s 2011 novella. train dream The film traces Robert Greiner’s life from childhood to adulthood and late life, all of which he lived in the Pacific Northwest, in Idaho and eastern Washington. Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack who uses his hands to earn a living, build houses, and create simple but important things in life. we have not witnessed for a moment In Grainier’s life. We witness its full arc. In fact, this movie isn’t to follow His life is such that we want to share it with him. Time flies and memories are revived as images come together and the substance of individual lives is formed.

Time, Part II. get out of the present

all living things have their eyes on you
Feed at the right time.
When you give it to them,
they collect it.
When you open your hand,
They are satisfied with good things.
When I hide my face,
they are scared.
When you take their breath away,
They die and return to dust.
When you send your spirit,
they are created,
And you renew the surface of the ground.
—Psalm 104:27-30

“Even though the old world is gone, you can still feel its echoes, even if it’s rolled up like a scroll and placed somewhere.”train dream

This is not an epic story, but it does contain human greatness. Grainier’s life is unprecedented in every way. “His life ended as quietly as it began. He never bought a firearm, never spoke on the phone. He never knew who his parents were, and he left no heirs.” Even throughout his life, Grainier never stopped to think about the implications of it all. As the world changes around him, he maintains a simple life, taking care of his job and family.

train dream takes this visionary man’s efforts and weaves them into something timeless and inspiring. There is a consistent lack of dialogue throughout, but Will Patton’s narration acts as a guide. It is his voice that opens and closes the film, providing a window into Grainier’s heart and mind and the world beyond. (The foundation of Edgerton’s performance lies in his physicality and gestures, which calmly express the film’s themes.) Patton’s words and Edgerton’s face speak melancholy about how time changes our lives. The world we live in now is not the same world we were born into. We are not the same people we once were. And the change continues until it’s gone. “Every creature looks to you,” the psalmist says to God, seeking provision, satisfaction, and renewal. And yes, for death. “You take away their breath, and they die and return to dust.” If the psalmist here allows us to imagine sparrows, Moses leaves no doubt in Psalm 90 that the same applies to mankind. “You have brought people back to dust and said, ‘Return to dust, mortals.'”Psalm 90:3).

We are asking God for these things, but let’s consider that we are also asking God to measure time. Our birth and death are ultimately in His hands. But so are daily provisions, seasonal boundaries, and the cycles of the sun and moon. The seasons change and we change, but God sustains us. We cultivate our lives, which bear a thousand fruits that testify to God’s faithful presence and our reflective creativity. But for anything to grow, time is of the essence and requires our continued involvement. The cultivation framework gives us the power to understand that our small acts, although they may seem powerless or meaningless, contribute to the beautiful and fleeting transformation of the world.

Timekeeping also includes history. The present has its place, but it cannot exist in isolation. It is not meant to be a vessel for all of our hopes and fears. Moses begins his prayer by saying, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place from generation to generation” (Psalm 90:1). Every generation has been sustained through the greatest oppressions and tragedies. Our own modern times will someday be a distant past, and perhaps then humanity will be better equipped to understand its place in the river of history.

The World, Part I. Human Efforts

You set our iniquities before You;
our hidden sins in the light of your presence.
Our days will pass under your wrath.
We end the year with a groan.
—Psalm 90:8-9

“It unsettles a person’s soul, whether they realize it or not.”train dream

The film is primarily set in the early to mid-20th century, with Adolfo Veloso’s cinematography reveling in the beauty of nature and emphasizing the meaning of humanity’s interaction with nature in the process. These images themselves take on an almost mystical quality. Boots are nailed to a tree at eye level. A train crosses a bridge at night, its light diffused into the steam from the engine. A fire tower stands out of place above a green field. As the film stitches these images together, they form unique dialogue that supplements the sparse screenplay. They tell their stories about the landscape and how we have changed it.

From his particular position in the world and history, Greiner unwittingly witnesses the irreversible changes in the Pacific Northwest. The endless forests of his youth are replaced by scarred landscapes and decaying forests. Forest fires seem to be becoming more and more prevalent and are also taking a toll on his own life. Even his own efforts are lost in the din of human efforts. After laboring to build a bridge for the railroad company, the narrator says, “Years later, a concrete and steel bridge will be built ten miles upstream, and this bridge will become obsolete.” Slow craft and cultivation jobs have no place in a world of rapid industrialization and ever-changing technological advances.

The tunnel vision of human ambition blinds us to how we are negatively impacting the world around us. train dream It seeks to reopen our horizons through awe of the beauty of the world. Earn Peebles (William H. Macy), an old man and something of a poet or prophet, joins some of the itinerant loggers that employ Grainier. He warns men that their work is a great strain “not only on the body, but also on the soul.” “The world is intricately stitched together, people. We don’t know how all the threads we pull affect the design of things.”

Here is train dream It gradually brings us back to the present. The film asks us to take a step back from the present moment, but it never asks us to forget the weight of our choices or the concerns facing the world. Our iniquities are before us, as the psalmist confesses. Our wrongdoings and harm to others cannot be covered up. Because they breed problems and sorrows that increase the more we turn away from them.

The World, Part II. great mystery

Praise the Lord, my soul.
Lord, my God, you are so great.
you are clothed with splendor and majesty
—Psalm 104:1

“When you turn a corner, you suddenly find yourself face to face with the great mystery that is the basis of all things.”train dream

but train dream Ultimately it draws our attention to beauty. It’s a film made with awe, and it oozes out of it. The world is full of majesty and great mysteries. Although Bentley’s film is never overtly religious, there is a frenetic transcendence that the film seeks to capture. For Christians, this transcendental encounter is inseparable from understanding the glory of God. The world reflects his greatness. Because it’s an outpouring of his generative creativity. We need frequent reminders to pay attention to this beauty and marvel at the wonders that lead us to worship.

Robert Greiner’s life means little by historical standards, but that doesn’t mean it’s meaningless. Sharing his daily journey, even if only for a few hours, is a deeply moving experience. As Grainier lives and dies, we hear the echo of the remembrance: “Teach us to number our days, that we may obtain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Our lives are in God’s hands, and God’s hands are generous. We do not cheat death, but we can live the life we ​​have been given with meaning and value. We can act, grow, and love even as we grieve, hesitate, and wonder.

Our own lives may be small. Perhaps they do not appear clearly under the broader lens of world politics and historical movements. We leave our mark in the same way. About the world around us, the people we share our lives with. We are intricately sewn together. And through small acts of cultivation, we shape ourselves and others. There is no omnipotence in the present. The habits and rhythms we build have more power than we often see. But we are called to be responsible, loyal, and creative. In doing so, we regain our sense of time and the world and testify to the great mystery and wonder of God.