Review
THE STATION AGENT
Starring Peter Dinklage, Bobby Carnavale and Patricia Clarkson
Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy
Opens Friday, October 24
Uptown Screen
A studly Italian, a divorcee and a dwarf are walking along a dock and no, it’s not the beginning of a joke. The film debut of writer-director Thomas McCarthy, The Station Agent looks into the lives of three lonely people who come together in a uniquely simple story brought to life by fantastic performances.
Finbar McBride (played to perfection by Peter Dinklage) is a man who loves trains and who gets a chance to live his dream when he inherits a train depot. Finbar doesn’t much like people and certainly doesn’t appreciate inquiries into his dwarfism. Dinklage shines in his embodiment of Finbar – from each flinch at the slightest physical contact with others to his seeming self-assuredness in his solitude.
Finbar soon attracts a few curious souls who, despite his resistance, barge into his life. A young African-American girl wants him to speak to her class about trains and Emily (Michele Williams), the young librarian, has a crush on Finbar. But when Finbar finally accepts the friendship of Joe (Bobby Carnavale), who’s a laid back Italian guy running a Coffee Truck, the film strikes at something larger. Joe is everything Finbar is not, but their friendship develops despite the odds. When Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), grieving the loss of her young son and her marriage, nearly runs down Finbar in her SUV another unlikely friendship develops
The lives of the characters in The Station Agent slowly converge and then come apart as the characters inevitably fall victim to their insecurities, preferring solitude to the love of others. A priceless scene in the film has Finbar drinking his sorrows away at the local tavern when, fed up with the stares of fellow patrons, he finally snaps, stands up on his bar stool and exclaims "Take a look!" This sequence becomes a turning point for Finbar, and even the audience by showing respect for others differences and seeing people for whom they truly are.
In the hands of Thomas McCarthy The Station Agent becomes a notable cinematic achievement, where the most effective scenes are that of three friends hanging out on rocking chairs watching TV, enjoying laughs and commenting on the absurdities of life. It really doesn’t matter why you’re friends – it just matters that your friends love you for who are. |
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