Fails the Bechdel test

Train Dreams

Name: Train Dreams
Released: 2025

2025. Directed by Clint Bentley, written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar and Denis Johnson.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
5 women characters. 3 of them speak.
No 2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.

The film

Set against the rich forests and vistas of the Pacific Northwest in Washington state, we observe the often quiet ebbs and flows of the life of Robert Grainier. Born of parents he can't recall, and destined for a life of laborious, early-20th-century work building railways and logging, he finds his true purpose upon meeting Gladys. Robert and Gladys soon decide that they will build a quiet life together next to a beautiful and secluded stream, and they will have a child together. Due to the long absences of Robert for his work, and local work at the time not being lucrative enough they both dream of using their modest land to build a sawmill and have a closer family life. Tragedy ensues while Robert is away working and saving money, and the struggle of meaning and solitude returns as he waits for signs and searches for the that which made him whole, again.

Released: 21 Nov 2025
Genres: Drama
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.5 / 10
Metascore: 88 / 100
Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars. 38 wins & 179 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Grainier 191 lines, man
Gladys 92 lines, woman
Narrator 75 lines, man
Arn Peeples 38 lines, man
Claire 36 lines, woman
Ignatius Jack 17 lines, man
Billy 12 lines, man
Man In Trench Coat 7 lines, man
Mr. Sears 6 lines, man
Young Logger 5 lines, man

Full cast, 34 people

Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier
Felicity Jones as Gladys Grainier
Nathaniel Arcand as Ignatius Jack
Clifton Collins Jr. as Boomer
John Diehl as Billy
Paul Schneider as Apostle Frank
Kerry Condon as Claire Thompson
William H. Macy as Arn Peeples
Will Patton as Narrator (voice)
Alfred Hsing as Fu Sheng
David Paul Olsen as Toomis
John Patrick Lowrie as Mr. Sears
Chuck Tucker as Silent Man
Rob Price as Curious Logger
Brandon Lindsay as Elijah Brown
Eric Ray Anderson as Boss
Beau Charles as Young Logger
Rick Rivera as Foreman. New Cut
Taylor McKinley as Logger. New Cut
Ashton Singer as Avery Pinkham
Zoe Rose Short as Kate. Returned
Sean San Jose as Carnival Barker
Bonni Dichone as Woman at TV
Cisco Keanu Hoberock as Wolfboy
Clark Sandford as Pilot's Father
Amelia Hilsen as Pilot
Keith Cox as Ruffian in Store / Model T Driver (uncredited)
Bonne Vejou-Dorrell as Kootenai Indian (uncredited)
Ron Ford as Mr. Pinkham (uncredited)
Frank A. Gaimari as Church Attendee (uncredited)
Miles Glew as Fair Attendee (uncredited)
Pamela Kingsley as Chapel Congregant (uncredited)
Jennifer Simmons as Mrs. Pinkham (uncredited)
Eric David Wallace as Logger (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 3% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 123

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers

Scenes	Women's lines	Men's lines
1 to 3	0	5
4 to 6	0	3
7 to 9	3	13
10 to 12	6	23
13 to 15	14	11
16 to 18	0	0
19 to 21	0	0
22 to 24	19	16
25 to 27	5	5
28 to 30	2	2
31 to 33	3	8
34 to 36	0	6
37 to 39	0	14
40 to 42	0	8
43 to 45	0	21
46 to 48	5	7
49 to 51	16	15
52 to 54	0	1
55 to 57	0	1
58 to 60	18	14
61 to 63	0	46
64 to 66	0	3
67 to 69	2	7
70 to 72	0	13
73 to 75	0	26
76 to 78	0	3
79 to 81	0	22
82 to 84	0	12
85 to 87	0	10
88 to 90	0	1
91 to 93	0	1
94 to 96	1	0
97 to 99	15	20
100 to 102	0	4
103 to 105	21	20
106 to 108	0	4
109 to 111	0	7
112 to 114	0	2
115 to 117	0	4
118 to 120	0	4
121 to 123	1	7

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 25 are women's.

131 lines from women, 389 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

5 women and 25 men in the cast. 3 women and 23 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 18 of 534. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 95 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 22% of the words (1,484), men 78% (5,170). Women have 25% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit D: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Two women

Two men

Exhibit E: behind the camera

5 of the 15 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 29% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Clint Bentley (man)
Written by: Clint Bentley (man), Greg Kwedar (man)
From the novel by: Denis Johnson (man)
Produced by: Marissa McMahon (woman), Will Janowitz (man), Teddy Schwarzman (man), Ashley Schlaifer (woman), Michael Heimler (man)
Shot by: Adolpho Veloso (man)
Edited by: Parker Laramie (man)
Music by: Bryce Dessner (man)
Production design by: Alexandra Schaller (woman)
Costumes by: Malgosia Turzanska (woman)
Cast by: Avy Kaufman (woman)