MYST POST #4: The Station Agent

As I was perusing the Netflix Instant Watcher catalog, I came across a familiar face. It was that of Tyrion Lannister, or for people who aren't fans of Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage. I love his character on the show and admire his immense acting talent, who despite his small stature, seems to always fill the screen with his presence.

This movie is about a dwarf named Fin, played by Dinklage, who after his boss and seemingly only friend dies, he leaves him a small piece of property in New Jersey, with an abandoned train depot building. Before Fin's friend died, the two of them had worked in a train hobby shop. Now, with nothing and no one else, Fin decides to head out to the property and live out the rest of his lonely days, reading about, thinking about, and watching trains.

Naturally, life isn't that simple for Fin, much to his dismay. Just a few hundred feet from Fin's property is a hot dog stand owned by the chatterbox, Joe (Bobby Cannavale), who is just looking for a listener, as he tends to his mostly customer free stand. The third main character is an eccentric artist, Olivia, with Patricia Clarkson perfectly cast in the role. Her connection with Fin, is that twice (in scenes that had me cracking up), she accidentally runs Fin off the road with her car, forcing him to dive into the woods.

This movie is really about loneliness and the different ways people cope with it. All his life, Fin has been teased and ridiculed for something he can't even control, his height. Therefore, he chooses isolation as the best solution, preferring to have the company of none, rather than risk any more emotional hassle. Joe, has few customers and seemingly few friends (perhaps because he talked their heads off), but is good to Fin, accompanying him on his "right of way" walks down old train tracks, or driving Fin, while he films a "train chaser" film. Olivia, without revealing any spoilers, is separated from her husband (played by Mad Men alum John Slattery), and has lost other important people in her life.

This film, directed and written by Tom McCarthy was shot on a shoestring budget, but this definitely didn't detract from the quality and appeal of the film. The aspect that stood out to me the most was the editing. Fin, though the main character, rarely speaks, and when he does, it is often with only one word answers, yet cuts to Fin reveal Dinklage doing a great job acting with his facial expressions. Instead, there are many scenes of Fin just walking. He doesn't know how to drive, so he spends much of his time, walking down roads, or train tracks. We see a lot of long shots of Fin walking alone, which really highlight his solitude.

I thought that that all three actors do a really great job in the film. Dinklage is in almost every scene and doesn't talk much, but still adds a lot of depth to his character. Joe, played by Cannavale, is also a really good character. I had only seen Cannavale before in last year's Blue Jasmine, and he was also really good in that. He seems to really have a hold on the east coast, fast talking, macho guy, but who also has a soft side. Patricia Clarkson as I said before, was perfectly cast. If you need a middle aged, eccentric woman, with a bit of a free spirit, she's the one you cast. Just a side note, there is a young almost unrecognizable Michelle Williams, in this movie, which I wasn't really expecting, but plays a character unlike so many of her more recent roles, which was a nice refresher.



A scene that I really liked, came near the end of the film. Fin who had rejected all of Joe's invites to the local bar, spitefully decides to go by himself, and drink his troubles away. This eventually leads to Fin, standing on his bar stool drunkenly proclaiming, "Here I am! Take a good look!" It was a rather sad scene as all of Fin's frustration with all the gawkers and insults has built up to this point and comes spewing out. To cap it all off, McCarthy goes with a high angle shot, diminishing the character even more, and emphasizing his weak emotional state.

This was an independent film, so like many other indies, it has a rather slow pace, so I don't recommend it to people who prefer a lot of action in films. Most of the conflict in this movie is either internal or implied. This movie actually had more humor than I was expecting. I found myself laughing quite a few times, so though loneliness is a heavy theme, it isn't a complete downer. Overall, I found this movie quite good, and anyone who has a Netflix account should check it out. I give this a 9/10.