The Station Agent Review
by Richard A. Zwelling (razwee AT yahoo DOT com)December 11th, 2003
THE STATION AGENT
*** 1/2 (out of ****)
a film review by
Richard A. Zwelling
An abandoned train station. A dwarf. An endlessly cheerful hot-dog vendor. A divorced forty-something woman who has lost a child. Don't these sound like they should be bits and pieces of four different stories? Well obviously, they are not. They are each at the crux of writer/director Thomas McCarthy's wonderfully poignant and perceptive The Station Agent.
As strange as many elements of this film may seem, dig beneath the unusual exterior and you will find a very familiar theme of isolated souls who have difficulty connecting with others because of deep inner pain. There is a good amount of inherent humor in this film, which often straddles the line between drama and comedy, but this humor is skillfully achieved through a deep concern and identification with the characters.
Finbar McBride is a dwarf, and is portrayed through an astounding performance by real-life dwarf actor Peter Dinklage. As we could easily guess without seeing the film, Finbar makes people's heads turn when he passes them on the street. People ask him self-deprecating questions he could rather not answer for the millionth time. His response is to cocoon himself from the outside world and develop a deep-seeded cynicism that comes through in his bitterly abrasive visage. Dinklage makes damn sure we can feel the anger seething in his bones.
Finbar's primary passion is trains. He collects books, models, and various other things relating to the subject. When his good friend, who co-owns a model train store with him, passes away suddenly, Finbar's inheritance is an abandoned train station in an isolated rural town, which has the deliberately conspicuous name of Newfoundland, N. J.
For reasons we can only guess, but are nonetheless irrelevant, a New Yorker named Joe Oramas (a very strong supporting performance from Bobby Cannavale) runs a hot-dog stand adjacent to the station where Finbar now lives. When the two first meet, Joe definitely notices Finbar's diminutive stature, but it does not seem to elicit the thoughtless, childish reactions Finbar is used to. Nevertheless, not even Joe's unconditional and effusive friendliness phases Finbar.
During a trip to a convenience store, Finbar has a chance encounter with Olivia Harris (another marvelous performance from Patricia Clarkson) who is divorced and still carries grief for the loss of her child. Olivia's clumsiness, which produces one of the funniest moments I have seen in any movie this year, leads to an unlikely moment of connection with Finbar, yet afterwards, neither feels comfortable enough to even make anything of the encounter.
These three lost souls, who we find are isolated for a variety of reasons, combine with a host of smaller supporting characters and begin a journey of self-discovery which breaks them free from their loneliness in strange, unexpected, humorous, and often touching ways.
McCarthy's choice for the train station and the surrounding tracks as the backdrops for what transpires is most assuredly no whim or accident. Not only does the forgotten and outdated world of trains provide for picturesque scenery and interesting historical background, but it provides a surprisingly multifaceted metaphor for the lives of Finbar, Joe, and Olivia. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the discussion of the "station agents" and their role in the world of trains.
This film is wonderfully penetrating, emotionally honest, funny, and genuinely moving without being hackneyed. The three major performances are superb, and Dinklage is simply amazing in a leading role that probably draws as much from experience as from interpretation. Few films dare to be as original (and sometimes bizarre) as this wonderful gem that should not be overlooked by anyone who craves a heartwarming and moving experience. The Station Agent has skyrocketed onto my 2003 top-ten list, and will more than likely hold its own by year's end.
More on 'The Station Agent'...
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