The Station Agent (2003)

• Review: *** ½ (out of ****)
• Starring: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Benjamin, Raven Goodwin, Sarah Bolger
• Director: Thomas McCarthy
• Screenplay: Thomas McCarthy
• Length: 88 min.
• MPAA Rating: R (For language and some drug content)

A train whistle blows as the heir of an impoverished legacy finds solitude in the simple folks he meets at his new home.

The Station Agentfeatures Peter Dinklage in the leading role as Finbar McBride, a dwarfof inestimable intelligence and compassion. Fascinated with trains,Finbar works for close personal friend Henry Styles (Paul Benjamin)building and repairing model train parts. When Styles passes away andleaves him a small, run-down station in the middle of New Jersey,Finbar takes to the rails to guide him to his new home.

Dinklage turns out afantastic performance as the diminutive spitfire. He meets severalinteresting people near his new home. Bobby Cannavale vociferouslyportrays Joe Oramas, a concession wagon operator who finds Finbar'slove of trains interesting and goes to great lengths to befriend himdespite Finbar's multiple attempts to prevent it. Finbar meets andeventually falls in love with Olivia Harris, a divorcing mess givenquiet rage and masterful presence by Indie queen Patricia Clarkson.Clarkson's performance lights up an intriguing story with her quiet andexplosive defiance.

The Station Agent takesgreat pains to use adversity through diversity to satisfy its audience.We find ourselves enjoying every minute of these delightfully neuroticcharacters. Thomas McCarthy who both wrote the screenplay and directedthe picture brought us an understanding of three miserable people whoselives together capture the love and dedication afforded other,better-adjusted people. Each one has reasons to hate the world aboutthem but the friendliness and openness that develops between themcreates an environment of hope for a safe future.

We learn as much aboutourselves through the performances in this film as we do about thecharacters themselves. It's not hard to see our own occasionalloneliness, inability to fit in and desire to shut out the world whenour problems explode beyond our capacity to deal with them. It shows usthat friends will care enough to support you when you're down, evenwhen you don't want their help. We can push them away with all of ourmight but true friends will always push back and take their positionbeside you with loyalty.

What's also amazing aboutThe Station Agent is that it takes the roles assigned to thesecharacters and slowly reverses them. Finbar's arrival is filled withhis own inner resentment and lack of faith in those around him to seehim as a human being and not some midget who is subjected to ridicule.To that end, both Joe and Olivia do their best to show him that theyhave no concern for his diminutive size and want to get to know thereal man. The roles slowly reverse as Olivia begins the film trying toget to know Finbar as he tries to shut her out and later, she realizesthat she may have seen something completely different in Finbar and hegoes on the offensive to help her realize she's wrong.

The Station Agent is aslow film and its conclusion is abrupt. However, it's a film that willrenew your faith in people. Differences between people are often usedto alienate them instead of unify them. Our country's history has beenfilled with such issues and we continue to struggle with them.Together, with films like this to act as a guide to understanding ourminorities, we can hopefully reclaim our civic identity and continue torise above our world of division.

-Wesley Lovell (March 26, 2004)