For many American viewers, this may seem like it’s in a foreign language where they don’t yell a lot. Americans, in movies, deliver each line with so much emotion that we’ve burned out several Greek gods. Their rotting husks litter the heavens, occasionally dropping bits of arrogance, sarcasm, and schadenfreude on the highways.
The Station Agent (2003) is an entry in the slice-of-life genre. A man with a physical challenge inherits a train stop, a simple little building, from his employer. From there he meets several other people, each battling their demons, as he battles his, and become friends with some of them, learning as they go.
In some ways this reminds me of Paterson (2017), probably my favorite movie of that year. It’s not a dance with your favorite action star from one adrenaline high to the next; it’s a chronicle of some problems, some tragedies, and some accomplishments that a few folks in New Jersey experience. Some of them are at Point A at the start and Point B at the end; some never get off Point A, clinging too strongly to their likes, dislikes, tragedies, even philosophies, and thus never progressing down their trail.
I won’t say this is as good as Paterson, but by no means let that caveat stop you from seeing this if you’re so inclined. Your taste in quiet, thoughtful drama will, most likely, differ from mine. Sampling Paterson and The Station Agent will not leave you with a sense of regret.
Most likely. I enjoyed this one a lot. Recommended.
