Stumbling upon The Station Agent feels like going through an old photo album. Overtly (through style and setting) and implicitly (through the emotion you feel while watching), the film evokes a sense of rustic nostalgia. Even if you’ve seen it before, Tom McCarthy’s 2003 film gets easily lost in memory — not so much that it’s forgetful, but that it lives in the back of your mind because it depicts such a quaint slice of life. A hidden gem in the archives of film, The Station Agent doesn’t rely on big production or shock value to get its point across. Instead, the 2003 comedy-drama relies on performances from a stacked cast of Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale, Patricia Clarkson and Michelle Williams to carefully depict depression and the importance of human connection in an emotionally delivered story.
The film begins with Fin (Dinklage), a clerk in a model train shop who inherits a small train depot in rural New Jersey after his only friend and fellow train enthusiast dies. Fin, who faces constant ridicule and cruelty due to his dwarfism, sees this depot as his haven away from the city. He arrives at his new home in Newfoundland like an old man embracing death, content to live out his remaining days in solitude. But his first day of respite gets interrupted by Joe (Cannavale), a loquacious Manhattanite running a coffee truck that just so happens to park right outside the depot. Joe, ecstatic to have some excitement interrupt his boring days in the isolated town, clings to Fin. And despite his best attempts, Fin can’t help but relent to Joe’s earnest appeals at friendship. Fin also meets Olivia (Clarkson), an older woman in town who similarly appeals for Fin’s friendship after nearly running him over with her car. The three form an odd but endearing bond, and the film explores the paths each took that led them to Newfoundland.
The meat of the film examines the similarities between Fin and Olivia’s struggles and how the two characters contrast with Joe. Fin is depressed because he hasn’t been treated like a normal, equal person throughout his life. He’s picked on by kids and strangers, and overlooked by grocery cashiers who literally don’t see him. Olivia is struggling to move on and cope after the death of her young son. Her interactions with friends and parents in town remind her of the void her son has left behind. It’s no stretch to see why both have come to the conclusion that living in isolation is the best way to escape further pain. Joe, on the other hand, has come to Newfoundland to take care of his sickly father, arriving in town to be closer to someone rather than seeking an escape. He accepts that life has its difficulties, but sees connections with others as the solution instead of a problem. Joe intuitively grasps what Olivia and Fin struggle with — even when our instinct is to shut others out, it is this connection that makes us human.
Going a layer deeper, the film depicts depression in an especially lucid way. Fin and Olivia understand that they belong to the same club — they recognize the pain in each others’ lives and why they seek to shut others out. And through this recognition of each other, they are able to cast a light inward, realizing the pain they bring to the few that care about them and the lonely pointlessness of the self-destructive paths of solitude they are on. Again, Joe contrasts with Fin and Olivia; he seeks to connect with others at every chance, from pleading with Fin and Olivia for their companionship to playing soccer in the street with a random family passing through. He says grace over dinner, expressing gratitude for what he has instead of lamenting what’s wrong. Joe understands that you get what you give, and that letting others in is essential, even if it carries a risk of pain. Through these friendships, Fin sees that, while most people in his life have been unable to see past his dwarfism, Joe and Olivia see him for him, a self-described boring, average person, bringing him a sense of acceptance and belonging he needed.
The performances from Dinklage, Cannavale and Clarkson, along with McCarthy’s careful direction, bring authenticity and emotion to the otherwise ordinary film. From the way these actors embody their characters, it wouldn’t surprise viewers to hear that McCarthy, in fact, wrote the script with these actors in mind. McCarthy, after years spent in front of the camera, made his directorial debut with The Station Agent, taking home several awards at smaller festivals, despite its modest commercial success. Produced on an estimated budget of only $500k and grossing less than $10M at the box office, there’s a washed, simple and nostalgic style to the look of the film that feels like a Polaroid picture or a memory of a summer in the countryside. The simple and nostalgic feel and quaintness of the setting and plot allow for the performances and direction to shine, depicting depression and friendship authentically and emotionally.
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