(rshsdepot) NYTimes.com Article: A Train Depot, More Dream Than Destination

[james.dent_@_itochu.com]

Movie Review from the NY Times...

This article from NYTimes.com 

A Train Depot, More Dream Than Destination

October 3, 2003
 By ELVIS MITCHELL 
 

In "The Station Agent" a man named Fin settles into a
remote outpost - a rundown train depot in the wilds of New
Jersey - that is so restful it seems perfect for him. The
movie's writer and director, Tom McCarthy, has such an
appreciation for quiet that it occupies the same space as a
character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often
hilarious take on loneliness. 

"The Station Agent" played at the Sundance Film Festival
this year, and it's a relief to see it finally released;
it's the kind of appetizing movie you want to share with
others. Fin (Peter Dinklage), with his low, rational voice
and intense stare, has moved into the remote spot after
inheriting the depot, a dingy yet lovely shack out of a
Walker Evans photograph, from Henry (Paul Benjamin), his
mentor and the owner of the model-train store where Fin
works in mournful silence. 

Fin is 4 foot 5 - he has no problem referring to himself as
a dwarf - but Henry, with his sour expression and slack
shoulders, seems even smaller, though he's of average
height. The unperturbed air seems to take something out of
him: he could be waiting to die. 

Mr. McCarthy treats Fin's new life as if his protagonist
were emerging from underwater and had to adjust to the
onrush of aural assault. Much of this comes from Joe (Bobby
Cannavale), the relentlessly friendly and talky Cuban who
pulls up every day in his food truck to run what must be
the loneliest retail location not staffed by the Maytag
repairman. Hawking coffee and fanning up a cloud of busy,
pushy and likable chatter, Joe elbows his way into the
taciturn Fin's life. 

Fin's obsession is trains, which he doesn't really want to
talk about. He'd rather work with them, and with the depot
he's been left what is essentially the world's largest
model-train set. The station, though, is mostly deserted,
and it provides an incomplete fantasy. For Fin the dream
always seems half-empty at best. 

The director plays up the amusing contrasts between the
serene, diminutive Fin, whose dignity seems unassailable
until he's finally ruffled, and the big, buffed Joe, whose
unremitting volubility is cotton-candy charm. He's a puppy
who can't help trailing after someone he adores, and he
uses words to mark his territory; the pair's relationship
is goofily enchanting. 

Joe is aggressive simply because he takes up so much space,
and "The Station Agent," which opens today in New York and
Los Angeles, allows Mr. Cannavale to give his finest
performance. There are depths of neediness and happiness
coexisting in him, and he doesn't bother to separate the
warring factions in this charismatic supporting turn. 

Mr. Dinklage's generosity should also be noted; he can be a
forceful actor. He proved his worth in Tom DiCillo's
making-of-an-indie-film-disaster comedy, "Living in
Oblivion." In that film he portrayed a clich馘 dwarf in an
imagined dream sequence and verbally burned a layer of skin
and nerve endings off the movie-within-a-movie's director
(Steve Buscemi), flaying him for his lack of imagination. 

A movie about a dwarf certainly flirts with being
cringe-worthy, at least in the abstract, but Mr. McCarthy
deals with his creations as characters. What's most
important about Fin is the detachment he imposes on
himself, his resignation to loneliness. But his
vulnerability becomes evident during a drunken rage in a
tavern, when he shows why he keeps himself emotionally
locked away. After being subjected to insults, he biliously
shouts to gawkers in the bar, "Take a good look." 

Joe's alone, too, and clings to the silent, brooding Fin as
if he were a refrigerator magnet. When the grieving artist
Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) literally barrels into the
picture - she nearly runs over Fin with her car - "The
Station Agent" takes on a deeper, more tantalizing shape.
Ms. Clarkson has been delivering meaty, juicy plums to
movies for several years; she's become the Barry Bonds of
low-budget film. 

Olivia is flushed with pain, and embarrassed by it. The
power in Ms. Clarkson's performance comes from Olivia's
recognizing parts of herself that she's been suppressing. 

These three loners slowly melt into one another, but the
relationship doesn't come easily to any of them. Their
unspoken anguish says plenty, as does Fin's ability to
provoke conversation from those who insert themselves into
his circle. He clearly doesn't seek them out, except one.
He does show some tenderness to a young visitor to his
depot, a little girl, Cleo, played with unapologetic
curiosity by Raven Goodwin. She's the one person Fin will
deal with directly, and his patience tickles her; it
compels her to spray him with questions. 

This exception aside, Mr. McCarthy proves himself so crafty
at making the unvoiced sentiments the heart of the film
that the movie becomes shocking in moments when Fin vents
his fury. If he weren't allowed the opportunity, however,
you'd worry that "The Station Agent" might implode, folding
in on itself in pent-up emotion. 

Mr. McCarthy does allow the movie bigger scenes, providing
a burst of contentment for the withdrawn Fin. In one, Joe
drives next to a train, while Fin, a quiet smile on his
face, catches the locomotive with his video camera. After
that, it's a return to the depot, which is such a
welcoming, ramshackle oasis that you think the producers
might offer it on eBay one day. I'd buy it. 

"The Station Agent" is rated R (Under 17 requires
accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has drug and
alcohol consumption, sexual situations and a justified
torrent of strong language from its angry protagonist. 

THE STATION AGENT 

Written and directed by Tom McCarthy;
director of photography, Oliver Bokelberg; edited by Tom
McArdle; music by Stephen Trask; production designer, John
Paino; produced by Mary Jane Skalski, Robert May and
Kathryn Tucker; released by Miramax Films. Running time: 90
minutes. This film is rated R. 

WITH: Peter Dinklage (Finbar McBride), Patricia Clarkson
(Olivia Harris), Bobby Cannavale (Joe Oramas), Raven
Goodwin (Cleo), Paul Benjamin (Henry Styles) and Michelle
Williams (Emily). 

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/movies/03AGEN.html?ex=1066186676&ei=1&en=1
6eb711f105b3181


Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
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