The Station Agent is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom McCarthy in his directorial debut.

It stars Peter Dinklage as a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in the Newfoundland section of Jefferson Township, New Jersey.

Finbar McBride, a quiet, unmarried man with dwarfism, deeply loves railroads and leads a solitary existence.

He works in a Hoboken, New Jersey, model train hobby shop owned by his elderly and similarly taciturn friend Henry.

Cuban American Joe Oramas operates his father's roadside snack truck while the elder man recovers from an illness, and artist Olivia Harris is trying to cope with the sudden death of her young son two years earlier and its ramifications on her marriage to David, from whom she is separated.

Joe and Fin sleep at Olivia's house after watching the footage and the next morning, meet a flustered, unannounced David.

Fin spends the night drinking and, collapsing on the track is passed over by a train, unharmed but for his pocket watch.

[3] According to writer-director Tom McCarthy's commentary on the DVD release, the film was shot on a shoestring budget in a limited amount of time.

The website's critical consensus states, "A sweet and quirky film about a dwarf, a refreshment stand operator, and a reclusive artist connecting with one another.

[5] Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times observed, "Tom McCarthy has such an appreciation for quiet that it occupies the same space as a character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often hilarious take on loneliness .

"[7] Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "as touching and original a movie as you're likely to see this year" and "a remarkably assured first film.

"[9] James Christopher of The Times stated, "The brilliance of Peter Dinklage's performance as the ironclad loner is that he doesn’t much care.

Yet there’s something deeply affecting about his stoicism and suspicion that has nothing to do with artificial sweeteners, Disney sentiment, or party political broadcasts on behalf of dwarfs.