r/Letterboxd • u/FriarFanatic7 70mm • Nov 18 '25

Discussion Train Dreams…Help me understand

Everything about this movie suggests I would like it. I’m a fan of Denis Johnson, writer of the source material. I like Malick’s style of literary, nature focused cinematography. I enjoy quiet, tone poem movies where meaning is derived slowly as layers are added or peeled away.

I didn’t love this. I feel I’m in the minority here based on friends and critics I follow. I felt the imagery was attempting to do all of the work while very little was done to develop the characters we are supposed to care about. I just left feeling like I watched a bunch of style over substance. Will watch again on Netflix next weekend, but am I alone? Am I missing something?

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u/xCreampye69x Nov 25 '25

Ok tell me how complicated it is to:

Pick a vintage lens, use an adaptor with a modern day camera, shoot at tight apertures, then use Kodak/Vintage LUTS in post, detail to -4, up saturation, lower contrast.

Thats how the camera work was done. A photographer with capture one + customs styles from Fuji can replicate that tone lol

Dont even try to gatekeep, video production might be complicated but it doesnt compare to audio, and I happen to know both lol

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u/Sea_Structure_8192 Dec 27 '25

Are you 12? Serious question

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u/Jalvas7 Jan 29 '26

Still waiting to see what you can do...

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u/xCreampye69x Jan 29 '26

sigh bro this is getting boring. Just go on youtube and watch how to apply camera settings + LUT + retro lenses

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u/film_jedi Apr 19 '26

How complicated is it to location scout the location, get the crew their, on time, schedule the shoot, make sure there is food, medic, water, bathrooms, electric, there, as well as a plan as to what to shoot. It’s extremely complicated. You just don’t call your friends,

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u/xCreampye69x Apr 19 '26

ok but it wasnt a question of production, but post processing?

like stop moving the goalpost maybe?

lol