The Station Agent (2003) * * * 1/2

Directed by:  Tom McCarthy

Starring:  Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale, Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Williams, John Slattery, Paul Benjamin

Finbar "Fin" McBride (Dinklage) simply wants to be left alone with every fiber of his being.   He utters one-word responses to questions from people who are genuinely interested in him.    If the responses could be less than one word, he would utilize those.    He is a dwarf who inherits an abandoned train depot in a quiet North Jersey town.   Fin loves trains and that's about the only thing on Earth that interests him.    What exactly Fin can do with a defunct train depot is anyone's guess.

Fin, a naturally lonely introvert who doesn't wish to change that status anytime soon, has the misfortune of making acquaintance with two more outgoing, but no less lonely souls in Joe (Cannavale) and Olivia (Clarkson), a recently separated artist whose son passed away two years ago. 
Joe runs a roach coach next door to Fin's depot, and Fin is standoffish to the gregarious Joe, who wants nothing more than to be Fin's (or anyone's) friend.    Olivia is a study in distracted driving, and nearly runs over poor Fin as he walks to and from the local convenience store.    She offers him a ride, but he declines.    As The Station Agent progresses, Fin finds it more difficult to keep to himself and keep others at bay.   He, Joe, and Olivia all need each other, whether they care to admit it or not.
They've all tried the loneliness thing, and it doesn't suit them well.

We sense as Fin reveals himself slowly to his new friends that his reluctance to communicate with others is a defense mechanism.    Years ago, he was rejected for being a dwarf, and now he chooses to disassociate himself with others before they can return the favor.    Many of the people he meets in town have never seen a dwarf before (the owner of the convenience store takes a picture of him), and I'm not certain how many have heard of the existence of dwarves.    A pretty librarian named Emily (Williams) is scared shitless when Fin walks to her counter to check out a book about trains.    Emily is startled at first, but soon smiles at him as if she is interested in more than just friendship.   She has a lot of work ahead of her.

The Station Agent is about wounded people whose hurts are exacerbated by being alone.    Joe takes care of his ailing father, Olivia's husband left her for another woman after her son passed away, and we know Fin's problems.   Dinklage, Cannavale, and Clarkson make these characters unique and sympathetic.    Their changes occur gradually and quietly.    No declarations are made, and no catharsis is shown, but we know each has let the others in, and this creates a certain power all its own.    Writer-director Tom McCarthy (who later went on to make the excellent Spotlight in 2015) wrote this story with these actors in mind, and it is difficult to imagine other actors in these roles.   They are tough nuts to crack, but with a little patience, care, and time, they do crack, and we are all the better for it.