Review

Review Date: 19-October-03
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

The Station Agent (2003)

In the grand old heyday of the rail, the station agent was the go-to man for train conductors on their temporary stops, providing everything from food to gossip to haircuts before sending them on their way. In the lovely new film by Tom McCarthy, the station agent is the go-to man for lonely souls trying to find their way in a small New Jersey town --- even though the era of trains has passed, the depot is closed, and its owner wants to be left alone. The movie's conjunction of old fashioned sociability and modern isolation produces a character study, comedy, and drama distinguished by plain, uncloying sweetness and a delightful compatibility between characters.

The hero of "The Station Agent" is a dwarf named Fin (Peter Dinklage), who inherits a run-down railroad depot from a friend with whom he shared a passion for trains. (I can't decide: is it more of an affliction to be 4'5", or to be named Dinklage?) Years of bearing the full brunt of other people's rudeness have turned Fin into both a recluse and a Stoic, but (rather like the deaf hero of Carson McCullers' "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter") his physical defect seems to make him a magnet for folks with something to get off their chests. Thus, within hours of taking up residence in the depot, Fin finds himself the target of aggressive attention from both Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a gregarious food cart jockey, and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), a well-to-do woman whose initial run-in with Fin makes the list of the year's funniest scenes. Somewhat against his will, Fin develops a fellowship with these two very different people, and begins to form bonds with a local schoolgirl (Raven Goodwin) and a pretty young librarian (Michelle Williams) who also seek him out.

All of these characters have some sort of cross to bear, but their travails never feel compulsory or gratuitous. Rather, they play into the central theme of connection: why we need it, where we seek it, and how the walls we build against the miseries of life can sometimes be as injurious as the miseries themselves, by cutting us off from sympathetic association. (Amazingly, McCarthy is the first person I've seen use the current obsession with telephones as a metaphor for the disconnectedness of modern society; phones go off all the time in this movie, but they never bring people together.) Fin and Olivia, in particular, approach human ties with reluctance, because friendship means letting people look at you and your problems full in the face, and having to look at others in return. But as the scenes of camaraderie and encouragement reveal, companionship is both a natural craving and, ultimately, the surest road to healing.

McCarthy provides enough background to make Fin's, Joe's, and Olivia's actions seem cogent, and then lets his capable cast fine tune their personalities and develop an unlikely chemistry. Dinklage is a study of polite aloofness and jaded forbearance; Cannavale effortlessly embodies the genial, good-time Guy with no concept of personal space; and Clarkson manages to maintain a flighty charm despite having to deliver the movie's harsher, tear-jerking moments. Together, these three make up a most engaging and peculiar set of friends; no small degree of fascination is involved in watching how they come together and get through to each other, especially at the beginning.

In addition to an affectionate regard for his characters and their rapport, McCarthy displays a nostalgic interest in trains, as if to suggest that in the old days (before the ubiquitous telephone) it meant something to travel from Point A to Point B, making connections along the way. He taps into the irresistible sight of passing cars, their speed and noise hypnotic, and into the powerful allure of walking the tracks, the rails of which conform perfectly to his hero's small strides. Guided by his gentle style, "The Station Agent" offers viewers a pleasant stopover on their way through life, dispensing an enjoyable variety of emotion, humor, and quiet reflection.

Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.