The Station Agent

"Loneliness is much better when you have got someone to share it with."

2003 1h 28m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 846🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●81Metacritic★7.6IMDB · 81,610

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.

“Loneliness is much better when you have got someone to share it with.”

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Cast

Peter Dinklage
Finbar McBride
Patricia Clarkson
Olivia Harris
Bobby Cannavale
Joe Oramas
Michelle Williams
Emily
Raven Goodwin
Cleo
Paul Benjamin
Henry Styles
Jase Blankfort
Store Customer
Paula Garcés
Cashier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tom McCarthy
Writers: Tom McCarthy
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $9M — a 17.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tom McCarthy, shot by Oliver Bokelberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stephen Trask. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom McArdle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tom McCarthy directs. Oliver Bokelberg behind the camera. Stephen Trask scores. Tom McArdle cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $9M — a 17.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
4Released 23 years ago.
5Directed by Tom McCarthy, shot by Oliver Bokelberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Stephen Trask. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Tom McArdle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Loneliness is much better when you have got someone to share it with.".
10IMDB entry: tt0340377 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Bokelberg
Original score: Stephen Trask
Editing: Tom McArdle
Production design: John Paino
Costume design: Jeanne DuPont
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $500,000
Box office: $8,701,337
Return: 1740% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Station Agent (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 81/100
IMDB rating: 7.6/10 · 81,610 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 BAFTA Award. 29 wins & 31 nominations total

Sundance Special Jury Prize for Acting
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Sundance Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Tom McCarthy

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb154355192021-04-15
★ 9/10
Peter Dinklage in a leading role. That's all you need to know.
Sierbahnn2026-06-14
★ 7/10
Heartwarming and quiet. The trailer would have you believe that this is about Peter Dinklage's character struggling with the bigotry of heightism. But it's far more subtle than that. It is a quiet movie about someone withdrawn from life and about the relationships that they make. The casting is phenomenal, with Peter shining as the lead, obviously. The pacing is great. It is a lovely movie, and I recommend it happily.