A Midsummer Day's Dream

THOMAS McCARTHY'S SUNDANCE HIT, THE STATION AGENT

There are a lot of shots of trains in The Station Agent, and a lot of shots of people walking down train tracks. There is a lot of train talk too, and one of the main characters lives in an abandoned depot. But lest you think The Station Agent is aimed at the Thomas and the Magic Railroad crowd, rest assured that its true audience is lovers of winsomely eccentric independent cinema. But not too winsomely eccentric. The setting is rural New Jersey. The central characters are a self-contained, taciturn dwarf (Peter Dinklage), a blabby but well-meaning Cuban guy (Bobby Cannavale), and a painter (Patricia Clarkson) who's a comically horrible driver and who is also mourning the death of her young son. Happenstance throws this trio together, wary friendships and mild sexual tension ensue, and that's pretty much it. This is a picture with the pulse of a summer afternoon, happy to stretch out on the grass and take in small dramas at its leisure. Despite the unharried tone, writer-director Thomas McCarthy is an economical storyteller. He also has remarkable discretion for a first-time filmmaker, gently prodding his characters to reveal themselves but never letting them grandstand or slice open an ostentatious vein; no one's going to find an acting exercise in this script. Dinklage, who has the unconventionally handsome face of a 70s movie star, can hold the screen with a mere quizzical look. His eyebrows alone could carry the picture. (Rating: ★★★)

B.H.