Customer Reviews

The Station Agent

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not many films have a dwarf as the main character--especially one whose fascination is trains. Finnbar McBride, played by actor Peter Dinklage, is such a man and has immersed himself in trains as, we understand with the progression of this great film, a retreat from the world of normal humans who too often delight in ridiculing him for his stature.

If this were a film characterized by stereotype and lack of imagination and intelligence, Finn would emerge as the valiant hero, fighting the odds that Mother Nature dealt him. But, luckily, it is not. Filmmaker (writer-director) Thomas McCarthy is much too smart and sensitive to do something stupid like that. Finn is very quiet, but has his weaknesses, shown in a great scene at the local bar in tiny Newfoundland, New Jersey where Finn's been left an old train depot by his recently deceased former boss.

In the bar, he proceeds to get truly drunk and confronts the inner demon of his enormous frustration at his dwarfism by standing on the bar and taunting everyone else to look at him. He's a fully rounded person--he shuns human company but when it's foisted upon him--by garrulous young Joe, the hot dog vendor, and by Olivia, the klutzy but beautiful local artist--he does respond. He does laugh with his new friends, he does understand that others may have pain, maybe even deeper than his.

This is one of the year's best films because it dares to raise a true, deep, and honest voice amidst the glitzy schlock that Hollywood still cranks out to rake in the millions. This is a film that should not be missed for its depth of characterization and emotion, its courage, its honesty, sensitivity, and above all, its deep understanding of what being human really means.

Very highly recommended.

Tom McCarthy's "The Station Agent" is the sort of movie that--if it even gets made in America--seldom makes it past the festival circuit to a wider audience. That "The Station Agent" did so is an unexpected and delightful surprise. This gentle, poignant film--which unfolds like a perfectly wrought short story--tells the tale of Fin (Peter Dinklage), a four-foot five-inch, thirtysomething guy who works in a model train store and has a lifelong fascination with trains. Used to the mockery of those around him, he lives devoid of human contact other than his sympathetic boss and a few fellow train enthusiasts. When his boss dies, he leaves Fin a decrepit train depot in a rural part of New Jersey; Fin, having no other place that will take him in, goes to the depot to live. There, almost against his will, he begins to establish contact with a few of the local residents, including two who in their own ways are as lonely as Fin: Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a convivial, motormouth hot dog vendor saddled with a chronically ill father, and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), an eccentric artist grieving over the loss of her small son and her bitter estrangement from her husband. How Fin, Joe and Olivia slowly, clumsily discover their common bonds forms the main story of "The Station Agent." It's scarcely an earth-shattering story, and the low budget is always evident; yet "The Station Agent" never puts a foot wrong. The story and dialogue continually offer small, revealing surprises about the characters, and the performances of Dinklage, Clarkson and Cannavale are exquisitely natural and unaffected. "The Station Agent" is a movie most people will probably never hear of, but those who see it will cherish it.

I do not damn with faint praise when calling this a "small" film, nor when doing so is any offense intended to Peter Dinklage who plays the role of Finbar McBride, the central character. After the death of his employer and friend who owns a store offering model railroads and various accessories, McBride learns that he has inherited from him an abandoned train station and sets out on foot to begin a new life there. Only four-foot tall, by now he has endured all of the hurtful jokes and taunts about dwarfs, "Munchkins," etc. He seeks solitude in what seems to be an eminently appropriate residence, given his passion for railroading in all shapes and sizes. McBride arrives and establishes residence, determined to have minimal contact with others who live in the town nearby. Unexpectedly and at first reluctantly, he becomes friends with Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale) and then Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), both of whom sense within McBride a stature belied by his diminutive body. This is a "small" film in the sense that under Thomas McCarthy's brilliant direction, it is fully developed within quite limited parameters. (I am reminded of the fact that the greatest athletes "play within themselves.") I can think of nothing to delete from this film, nor of anything to add. Also, to their credit, McCarthy and his cast resist every opportunity to sentimentalize (thereby trivialize) any of the lead characters' weaknesses as well as strengths. Finbar, Olivia, and Joe struggle (with mixed success) in their relationships with each other. Their behavior is not always admirable. But separately and together, they celebrate the nature of humanity, whatever the shape and form of it may prove to be.

The Station Agent is one of those movies that begins slowly but then grabs the viewer and doesn't let go. More than anything it teaches viewers that "families" come in all sorts and types.

Finn, a dwarf played by Peter Dinklage, works for a store, which specializes in toy trains and their repair. He is also a member of a train club, which chases trains and videotapes their train rides, or chases. Sullen and withdrawn Finn inherits a piece of land in New Jersey with a depot on the grounds when his boss dies. Retreating to the depot, he finds a brash, loud and outgoing young man, Joe played by Booby Cannevale who is working at his father roadside coffee stand. Joe tried to reach out to Finn and slowly immerses himself in Finn's life, walking the train tracks with him and filming a train as they ride along in his car. Patricia Clarkson as Olivia, an artist who is separated from her husband and grieving for her young son who was killed, plays the third member of this unlikely trio. The three of them slowly become friends and one can't help but get the feeling that these are real people rather than actors playing roles. How they reach out to one another and form their ties is the basis for this movie and one well worth seeing. While Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannevale are well suited for their roles, the movie ultimately belongs to Finn as he comes to terms with his size and desires.

I laughed, I cried and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I will never forget these three people or this movie. See it. You won't be sorry!

Several lonely characters in a small non descript New Jersey town do not make for a major Hollywood drama. But this "small movie" is very human and manages to sustain your involvement without the usual gratuitous doses of fight or flesh. Finnbar, the main character, is a midget who inherits a disused smalltown train station when his boss dies. He converts this to his new home next to the tracks where trains no longer stop. Initially trying to shun contact with others, his life becomes slowly woven with other characters in this little New Jersey town of Newfoundland. There is Joe, the hot dog/coffee stand vendor, who continually receives calls from his ill father; Olivia, the artist haunted by the accidental death of her young son, which has estranged her from the husband from whom she has now seperated; a pretty young local town librarian who admires the midget's striking facial features; and a young black schoogirl who keeps popping in and out from seemingly nowhere, seeking to get Finnbar to overcome his reluctance to make a presentation on trains to her grade school class. What binds Finnbarr to Joe and Olivia is their common sense of intense loneliness, for which the abandoned silent tracks provide an unmistkable metaphor. Several superbly shot scenes and some wonderful dialogue are what keeps you hooked throughout this movie in addition to some very fine acting. You almost begin feeling after a while that you are next to the same railway tracks or in the same living room as the three main characters. I only wished, when it was over, that this type of movie were more the norm. Please see this movie!

"The Station Agent" is the kind of film that exists outside of genre or one line descriptions. Its twists and turns are so subtle and unexpected that easy synopsis would be unfair.

As a testament to vagrant, ephemeral human connection, it conveys a bittersweet sort of joy that is rarely seen in conventional movies these days. Writer-director McCarthy (on my most watched list from now on) takes us through this gentle story almost effortlessly, highlighting the little quirks in each character's personality without remotely turning them into offbeat rural stereotypes.

The best advice to filmgoers who appreciate smart, mature, humanist movies is, quite simply -- Watch this gem pronto!

This may well be my second favorite movie ever. Certainly in the top five. Can I explain why? I'm not sure that I can. An attempt: it appeals to the small person inside every single one of us. The one that never quite fits. The one that takes a beating and keeps on ticking. The one that lies down under a train and fails even at that. The one that paints half finished children for the eternal loss that never heals. The one that keeps on knocking until the door finally opens. The one that drinks alone at the end of the bar. The one that dreams of riding the Zephyr and hopes it never reaches the end of the line. The one that sits among other small big people and feels right at home.

I just saw a screener of this film the other night, and I have to say, it is one of the best films of the year! I loved it! Peter Dinklage deserved an Oscar nomination, if not the Oscar itself! His performance was so real, and it connected with you on a certain level, and you just knew how this character felt. Everyone else in the cast was awesome as well. Patricia Clarkson was hilarious and moving, as was Bobby Cannavale who plays the extremely hyper and energetic Joe.

All in all, I think that Thomas McCarthy has given us a treasure. It's one of those films like LOST IN TRANSLATION, where you just come away from it feeling so effected by it that you want to watch it all over again to get that same feeling. The scenery and use of atmosphere helps to give you the feel of this film, and it will stick with you soon after the film is over. The score by Stephen Trask is also a plus. I loved it, and I hope its on a CD somewhere.

Needless to say, I will be buying the DVD as soon as it hits shelves!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Tom McCarthy's THE STATION AGENT is about a man who likes trains far more than he likes people. He just wants to sit and read, walk along the train tracks watching locomotives pass and keep to himself. He doesn't think there's really much particularly interesting about his manner, and he doesn't really have much need for friends or attention.

But Fin was born a dwarf, which is likely what motivates him to remain isolated and what motivates gawkers, jarringly rude people and sentimental souls to take an interest.

At the beginning of THE STATION AGENT, we see Fin, brilliantly played by the talented and actually quite handsome Peter Dinklage, go about his life amongst a rude population until his sole friend in the world dies. Though Fin is sad, of course, he inherits land with an old, isolated train depot on it - and he ventures to it so that he can finally live without bother from other people.

But like it does with all of us sometimes, the world will just not leave Fin alone - no matter how much he craves silence and isolation.

Fate, I guess, knows that Fin needs people, needs friendships, needs ties to the outside world, so it provides him with new friends Joe and Olivia, played by Bobby Cannavale and the always-excellent Patricia Clarkson. Joe runs his father's catering van that he parks everyday outside the train station, even though it barely gets any traffic and Joe himself cannot stand being alone because he can't stop talking. Olivia is a perpetually distracted artist who lives in a nearby house and comes by Joe's stand and the station everyday because they're her only real connection to the outside world.

Because they ask Fin more about his interests and his life than about his condition, he finds himself opening up to them.

Through Joe and Olivia, who is masking some very real problems of her own, Fin is able to change his life. Somewhat. And the story of these friendships and these unique characters are what give THE STATION AGENT its considerable charm.

I identified with Fin's character personally because I was born with a disability as well. With a disability, you find sometimes that you want people to acknowledge your differences, and other times you'd rather be accepted and not stared at. THE STATION AGENT gives Fin distinct moments when he attempts to either thwart attention or grab it, not sure of how he himself feels toward what makes him physically different. It's a smart film that can do that, that can allow a character to both embrace and fight against adversity at the same time.

Because that compromise is difficult in life, the film ends on an ambivalent note, but with one of hope, and I found that fitting.

I recommend it because it knows what its character is going through, knows why he's going through it and knows that there are no easy answers to his situation.

It also knows that sometimes you just shouldn't be alone.

It becomes apparent early on that "The Station Agent" is not your usual film. It sets a slow, methodical pace which will not satisfy the typical multi-plex audiences. It presents characters without offering a lot of explanation for them. You are required to pay attention to how they act in order to find out who they are. There are no long, informative, tell-all speeches by these people, the kind that you would find in a more mainstream movie. And, somewhat surprisingly, there is no real resolution to the three main lives that the film touches upon. And yet, somehow it all works.

Peter Dinklage plays the lead role in "The Station Agent". He is Finbar McBride, a solitary man who works with an older black gentleman named Henry in a Main Street-style shop which sells & repairs model trains. Henry and Fin are train enthusiasts, and even watch home movies other people have made that are nothing more than different camera angles of trains. When Henry dies suddenly, Fin discovers that his friend has bequeathed him a half-acre of land in Newfoundland, New Jersey. On the land is an old train depot, where the station agent used to reside. Here is where Fin decides he will go and live, and it is where the main point of the movie begins.

Across the tracks from the train depot is Joe, an obviously lonely young man who runs a portable coffee and hot dog stand. He quickly rushes to befriend Fin, but finds it at first to be of some difficulty. Fin, you see, is a dwarf, and has put up a protective barrier to shield himself from what can often be an unkind and unthinking humanity. When Joe invites Fin to the local tavern, the dwarf refuses. We later find out why. Though Fin tries to separate himself from people, he is only human, and therefore becomes resentful of his home-made prison of loneliness. This leads to him eventually accepting Joe's goofy version of friendship. The third lonely person added to the mix is Olivia, a forty-something woman who has recently lost her child through death, and her husband through mutual separation. Olivia is not only lonely, but also fragile and unstable. Together these three lost souls attempt to bolster each other through simple companionship. Sometimes it works, while other times it doesn't. Add into the mix two more lonely people: a young librarian woman who takes a physical interest in Fin, and a little girl named Cleo who likes to hang out with Fin and old abandoned trains more than with kids her own age, and you have a movie full of disheartened, dejected characters.

But "The Station Agent" is certainly a unique film. It moves at its own pace, and tells its story through what the characters say, rather than what they explain. Have you ever noticed that, in most movies, if a character has some deep, dark pain in their life, there will inevitably come a scene (or perhaps multiple scenes) where the character will unload and explain everything that's going on with them? They will provide life history, present angst, and maybe even future worries. Not so with "The Station Agent". You'd just better pay attention to what these people say, as unimportant as it sometimes may sound, and as infrequently as it may come, if you want to grasp what's really going on with them and what their roles are within the film. This is not a movie for relaxing and letting your mind glaze over. This is a movie which treats the viewer with respect. It assumes you are intelligent and alert. And I appreciate that. My only real complaint with the film is that there are still some unanswered questions that the writer/director could have taken some time in answering, although I suppose they are not super-vital to the story.

The acting job by the three leads - Peter Dinklage as Fin, Bobby Cannavale as Joe, and Patricia Clarkson as Olivia, is realistic and superb. These definitely feel like characters, not actors. If the locations used for Newfoundland, New Jersey are not real, then they sure did a good job making them seem as if they were. There is such a flavor of truth to the whole film that it can only help propel it to a higher level of entertainment. And a special mention should be made for Stephen Trask, incidental music composer. His work here fits in perfectly with the mood of the movie.

"The Station Agent" is not your typical movie-going experience, but that is a good thing. It is a slowly unfolding film about lonely people who find each other and do what they can to help themselves through the kind of companionship that only humanity can provide, in its unique, quirky way. It doesn't explain, it simply 'is'. The characters seem like real people, and we find that they are easy to relate to. Already you have the pieces in place for a great movie. And "The Station Agent" does not fail in that regard.