Vital Viewing- The Station Agent

I've decided to write a segment about films you may not have heard of that are worth your viewing time (kind of the opposite of Movies You Need Not Watch). The first film is the sweet and soulful The Station Agent, written and directed by Tom McCarthy (an actor, notably from Syriana) and starring Peter Dinklage (30 Rock, Penelope), Bobby Cannavale (Will's Boyfriend from Will & Grace) and Patricia Clarkson (Good Night and Good Luck).

The film is about Finn (Dinklage), who inherits a small train depot in Newfoundland, New Jersey, after his friend and boss dies. A dwarf, he prefers his own company to that of judgmental people (one takes a picture of him while he is shopping), and most of all he loves trains. When he moves to the depot he meets Joe (Cannavale), a rambunctious food vendor whose father is ill and who hates being alone (or at least silence). Completing the trio is Olivia (Clarkson), a scatterbrained artist who is recovering from the death of her son. Though they have very little in common the three forge a bond revolving around the coolness of trains and begin hanging out, and their relationship as well as the ups and downs in their own lives play out for the audience to devour.

Each of the actors are incredibly real and vulnerable in their performances- in fact, even though I've seen each actor in multiple mediums and enjoyed them I found it impossible to separate them from their characters while they were onscreen and could only recall their performances in other movies after the movie was finished. The actors bring such fullness to their characters that the script is totally believable, and it makes the audience invest completely in them and the movie. It is not a particularly sad or happy movie, but it is a total enjoyment to watch and experience. At only about ninety minutes it would be a perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon, and damned if I wasn't already missing the characters as soon as the credits rolled. So I played all the deleted scenes, which I rarely do. Rent The Station Agent, and if you are not totally satisfied with the experience, I will happily listen to you.

Images found via Google Images.