THE STATION AGENT is such a quiet little film that it is only now registering on my radar. That's a shame. It was actually released 4 years ago, winning Independent Spirit and Sundance awards. It isn't ground-breakingly original but it is restrained and somewhat poetic without feeling repressed. In the first half hour, this film introduces characters who seem poised to jump headlong into heavy characature but then, as if going to the edge of suicide bridge and deciding not to jump, they all just stand back and observe the murky waters and ponder things for a while.
I wonder if most people really appreciate understated films like this. The movie, like its main character Fin (Peter Dinklage), keeps its cards close to the chest. In fact, all three main characters opt for restraint in their struggle against loneliness. Instead of opening up, they pull back. They disappear from each other's lives (albeit temporarily). They protect us from their own inner turmoil, choosing instead to dwell on momentary pleasures like train watching (Fin), or painting (Olivia / Patricia Clarkson). Even the goofy, open hearted Joe (Bobby Cannavale) is restrained in his own way. At first, his childlike overatures serve to wear down the psychological defenses of Fin and Olivia until they have no choice but to become his friend. Later as they open up a little Joe stands back and observes. It's an interesting juxtaposition.
One might mistakenly think that the film doesn't care that Fin is a dwarf (little person), but it's relevant to the viewing experience. One spends much of the film looking at the angular, full-sized proportions of Fin's face, noticing the dignity in his eyes and then contrasting all of that to the size of his body. You find yourself noticing how well Fin folds into a train-yard landscape or a shot of a country meadow. Although part of his problem is that he is a dwarf and can't stand people staring at him, we are doing just that. I doubt we would last the long silences and detached stares that are a signature of this film without having trains and dwarfs to look at. Just a side note...I think I might like to go live in a train depot myself for a while like Fin. There is an almost mythical quality to his journey.
If THE STATION AGENT were changed even slightly (no train yards, dwarfs, or pudgy little next door neighbor girls) it might throw the whole thing out of whack. It could have easily become too depressing. Without the restraint shown in direction, performance and script, it could have been a wallowing mess. Luckily, it isn't any of that. Actually, it's sort of a gem.