A new Netflix western could repeat the Oscar success of this surprise hit from 5 years ago

Every year, the Academy Awards feature a few unlikely nominees or include choices in their list of nominees that go relatively unnoticed until their nominations are announced. The 2026 Oscar predictions therefore also contain nominations and predicted wins for films that many have not heard of before, but which have a good chance of being favored by the Academy.

Among the many trends that have emerged in recent years at the Oscars is the constant presence of Netflix films among the contenders for the Best Picture Oscar. Every year, OTT platform supports many of the biggest winners and strongest nominees at the Oscars, and its status as a prestige platform has also increased as a result.

While the Academy’s new rules may impact Netflix films’ chances, it’s clear the platform is willing to play along if it means awards dominance can continue. Among the films Netflix is ​​giving wide releases to for Oscar contention is an underrated Western film that will hopefully soon receive the attention it deserves.

Train Dreams is a deliberately paced Western drama

Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier in Clint Bentley Form dreamswhich follows the titular protagonist throughout his life, and recounts, accompanied by voice-over narration from Will Patton, the events that make up this fictional lumberjack’s life. It is a meditation on the life of a country worker and the nature of country life.

Form dreams moves at the pace of a train you are traveling on. He takes his time to arrive at his ultimate destination and gives you a breathtaking and thought-provoking view of life at different stages of his stay. The film is filled with stunning visuals of vast fields, snow-capped mountains, and the biggest, tallest trees you can imagine.

Despite its leisurely pace, the film is anything but. It depicts the difficulties of life as a lumberjack and the fickleness of mortality when living in the wild. A big part of what makes Netflix Form dreams A must-see film is its interpretation of tragedy and its handling of grief with the utmost care and patience that such a heartbreaking story deserves.

The film’s deliberate pace is complemented by the introspective writing of the voice-over narration it’s nostalgic, observant and whimsical. The way he weaves a narrative from disjointed memories and fragments to tell the story of a man’s life, from his birth to his death, is not only commendable, but also captivating.

Nomadland explores similar themes to Train Dreams

Among the five Best Picture Oscar winners of the 2020s is this equally meditative film that shares similar traits with the western genre like Form dreams. Chloé Zhao’s Nomadic country is just as deliberately paced and takes place in equally sprawling expanses, although its setting is decidedly more arid. Both films also follow working-class protagonists who experience the ups and downs of life.

Form dreams And Nomadic country explore the impact of changing circumstances, evolving technology, and the ever-increasing capitalist structure of the economy on the working class. The fern by Frances McDormand from Nomadic country has a very different layout by Robert Grainier, but their lives don’t differ much. They might share stories of loneliness and feel connection while searching for deeper meaning in everyday life.

Nomadic country is also a western in the same sense as Form dreamsfor the visual abundance of open spaces, the thematic emphasis on human tragedy and the helplessness of humans in the face of the forces of nature, as well as the aural experience of being overcome by the silence of the world, are all elements associated with the best films of the Western genre.

Train Dreams likely to win big at the Oscars in 2026

Cr. BBP Train Dreams. SARL. © 2025

There is still time for Form dreams grow ahead of the Oscars next year, and it’s already achieving an impressive 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It is possible that the film will not remain as underrated as Nomadic country That’s when the Oscar nominations were announced, but either way, it’s expected to be a major Oscar contender.

The Netflix film adaptation of Form dreams the novella has Oscar glory written all over it, due to its nature as a deliberately paced meditation on the working class, its lesser-known status among predicted greatest films, and the visual and aesthetic choices of using long shots, natural lighting, and wide-angle shots. The Netflix banner also contributes to its chances at the Oscars.

The directors of both films were relatively unknown until Oscar buzz

While Chloe Zhao is almost a household name today, not least because she went from surprise winning the 2021 Best Picture Oscar to directing an MCU film featuring entirely new characters. However, before the Oscar buzz, despite an impressive filmography, she had not found much fame or recognition on a global scale. Nomadic country changed the trajectory of his career.

Likewise, Clint Bentley was a lesser-known person in the industry until his appointment as is part of the writing team behind the 2025 Best Adapted Screenplay nominee, Sing Sing. He could be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director in 2026, and it’s entirely possible that his career explodes in the same way that Zhao’s did after his Oscar win for Nomadic country.

Nomadic country

9/10

Release date

February 19, 2021