Upon inheriting an abandoned train depot in rural New Jersey, Fin attempts to engineer a life of total solitude . However, the film suggests that isolation is rarely a sustainable choice. His "isolated" depot becomes a collision point for two other fractured souls: The Station Agent movie review - Roger Ebert
The Art of Stillness: Why ‘The Station Agent’ Remains a Quiet Masterpiece
The fragile peace is tested when personal tragedies and external humiliations—such as a cruel encounter at a local bar—cause the characters to retreat back into their shells. Fin initially attempts to push his new friends away and return to his solitary life.
: A comprehensive, historical reference book for those engaged in station work, originally published in 1928 and recently reprinted [37].
(Dinklage), a man with dwarfism who is obsessed with trains and prefers a life of solitude to avoid the constant, often cruel attention his physical appearance draws from the public. After the death of his only friend, Fin inherits an abandoned train depot in rural Newfoundland, New Jersey, and moves there expecting to live in isolation.