The acclaimed film adaptation of “Train Dreams” — based on Denis Johnson’s celebrated novella — has emerged as one of the most locally meaningful Oscar stories of the year thanks to both its critical success and its deep Iowa roots.
Released late last year and now streaming on Netflix, the film earned four major Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Song. Its national recognition doubles as a tribute to Johnson, whose years in Iowa shaped his voice, career and enduring mythos as one of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop’s most legendary figures…