MIRAMAX FILMS
Emily (Michelle Williams), left, befriends Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) when he moves to New Jersey to claim his inheritance of an abandoned railway depot in "The Station Agent."
Slice-of-life tale
enchants
If we're honest, we'll admit to occasional bouts of loneliness and the need for companionship. We might even fess up to a bit of eccentricity, realizing that everybody has some quirks.
Like the three eccentrics in Tom McCarthy's charming and intellectually stimulating "The Station Agent," the more we get to know them, the less eccentric and more likable they seem.
Hey, we're like them.
Some of the best films about friendship have also been the most unique, which is odd since friendship hardly seems like an unusual subject. "The Station Agent" is an easy-to-swallow comic drama about three people brought together when their individual solitudes coincide.
People, and their need for connections, are the subjects here, which uses a lazy summer in New Jersey, where there's nothing better to do than take long walks, stop for coffee at a lunch wagon,and gaze at trains flying by all too fast.
The film's protagonist, Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage), is a dwarf who's had to deal with lingering stares, comments and insults. Like many people, Fin would like to escape the trap of his body.
"Hey, where's Snow White?" a young punk yells at him.
He is stoic, with a blank, almost lifeless stare, living with the scrutiny with practiced impassivity. Fin embraces his loneliness.
He's also a train devotee, working in a hobbyist's shop and catering to fellow junkies who love filming and watching home movies of trains.
Fin doesn't say much to anybody, including his aged boss (Paul Benjamin), but the two men respect each other. When the boss dies, he leaves Fin an inheritance that sends Fin to a desolate Newfoundland, N.J., where he becomes the owner of an abandoned railway depot.
The move to New Jersey is a chance for Fin to escape, luxuriate in solitude and walk the tracks in peace.
But his depot is across a dirt parking lot from the lunch wagon of Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a constantly yakking New Yorker filling in for an ailing father. Joe, nearly neurotic from the lack of companionship, is there every day chatting up the taciturn Fin. But Fin obviously doesn't share Joe's enthusiasm.
Local artist and recently separated Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) accidentally runs Fin off the road on two occasions, sending him into a ditch on a country road. She later visits Fin with a peace offering of a bottle of bourbon.
"The Station Agent" is a simple slice-of-life story that unfolds like real life with an array of lovable but troubled characters who want emotional intimacy but are fearful of it. There's the flirty librarian, Emily (Michelle Williams), and Cleo (Raven Goodwin), a little girl the same height as Fin who invites him to her show-and-tell class to talk about trains.
The film is a series of vignettes centered around Fin and his growing relationships. While there is no overriding story or crisis, it's offset by the audience being privy to the characters' small talk, offering such an intimate look at them that one can't help but care for them.
Every player makes their mark, though Dinklage, who should get Oscar consideration, stands out for his understated intensity, commanding voice and handsome face. He's an actor who can hold the audience with a look or gesture.
"The Station Agent" envelops the viewer like a friendly hug from a loving relative or close friend. It's a film with an emotional resonance that's difficult to shake.
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