The film “The Embalmer,” 2002’s stand-out dwarf movie, stars a middle-aged dwarf who lures a tall, youthful cook into helping with his seemingly innocent taxidermy business. What begins as a innocuous business deal balloons into orgy, intrigue and murder. This dwarf defines campy. The grotesque and macabre abounds when the dwarf does some “street taxidermy” for his Mafia pals, smuggling drugs cross-country in the chest cavity of a dead boss.
Though 2003 was a dreary year for humanity, it did see a marked increase in the caliber and tone of dwarf movies. “The Station Agent” is not that dwarf movie. In fact, “The Station Agent” is not self-consciously a dwarf movie at all.
Peter Dinklage (“Elf”) stars as Finbar McBride, train enthusiast and retired hobby shop employee (dwarves retire young, it’s a common fact) who has just inherited a tract of land along an old Newfoundland, New Jersey railroad right-of-way. After a lifetime of attracting unwanted stares, Fin seeks isolation by moving into the rickety train depot on the land. He instead is met with barrage of encounters by some of the town’s equally lonely but well-intentioned inhabitants. Fin gradually comes to appreciate these advances, trading in his stoicism for the chance at friendship.
Doing a favor for his ailing father, Joe Oramas (played by Bobby Cannavale of “Sex and the City”) relocates from his Manhattan digs during the day to drive his father’s hot dog truck, Gorgeous Frank’s.
Parking outside Fin’s depot every morning, he idles away the time between serving caf? con leches and talking on the phone with his friends about their latest nighttime exploits. In Fin, Joe sees not a dwarf, but a potential companion, and persists stubbornly in his efforts to get to know him. They end up spending many an afternoon watching trains, which ends up being mutually agreeable, if not a little awkward.
In her portrayal of Olivia Harris, a middle-aged grieving mother, Patricia Clarkson (“All the Real Girls”) is convincingly haunted. Separated from her husband, her summer home provides her an escape from the memories of her son, and she tries to lose herself in her artwork. Olivia regards Fin in both a maternal and romantic manner, lingering too long when she gives him a quick kiss goodnight.
Despite his rather pronounced passion for trains, Fin has never ridden on Amtrak. To make up for this, Olivia gives Fin a video camera and he goes “train chasing” with Joe. The three get together on a idle summer night to screen the film, exploring their oddly comfortable family dynamic.
In his screenwriting and directorial debut, Thomas McCarthy’s spare camera work and subtle dialogue culminate in a strangely affecting and warm picture. In their shared loneliness, Fin, Oliva and Joe etch out an unlikely friendship that escapes feeling forced or saccharine. “The Station Agent” examines what transpires between friends in the idle moments.
