The Station Agent

I must admit, I don't have as much to say about this film as I would have if I had written last week directly after watching it. I can still say that it is quite a good film, and the odd subject matter does not draw attention to itself, but is well-blended into the flavor of the story. In brief, the story is about a misanthropic train fanatic with dwarfism whose only friend dies, leaving him a small plot of land with an old train depot on it in a rural area, where he goes to live and hopefully be alone. Wow, I fit it all into one sentence! But the story is much bigger than one sentence.

Finbar, the main character, is perfectly content to be alone all of the time. He's tired of ridicule, being hurt, and people in general. His hobby is easy to enjoy alone, and it would seem that a tiny, secluded, abandoned train depot would be ideal for his solitary tendencies. He is surprised, however, by friends who care about him and people whom he can help. It's really a story about healing wrapped in an unusual situation and seasoned with characters that are both quirky and easy to relate to. I plan to buy the disc. Oh, and Peter Dinklage has a fantastic voice. I wish he did audiobooks. Patricia Clarkson is also fantastic. She was great in Pieces of April, and All the Real Girls is next in my Netflix queue.