LONELY LIVES GET BACK ON TRACK IN 'STATION'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

'THE STATION AGENT'' is a movie about three outsiders: a train-obsessed dwarf, a woman recovering from the death of her young son and a hot-dog vendor trying to sell food in the middle of nowhere. Your ability to accept these people and their situations at face value will go a long way in determining whether you like Tom McCarthy's sometimes precious chamber piece, which won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Of course, winning an award at Sundance is usually the kiss of death for a movie, but McCarthy's characters do manage to resonate away from the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains and connect to people back here on Planet Earth. It's a small film, rather insubstantial when you boil it down to its essentials, but it benefits greatly from its three strong leads, McCarthy's gentle style and a willingness to leave some things unsaid and others ambiguous.

The movie's main character is Finbar (Peter Dinklage), who inherits a deserted train depot somewhere in the sticks of Jersey. The isolation is fine by Fin; he prefers to keep to himself, spending most of his time watching trains or reading about them. He's a damaged soul, losing a little piece of his humanity every time somebody treats him like less of a man just because he's short.

As much as Fin wants to be left alone, Joe (Bobby Cannavale), the goofball snack truck guy, needs somebody to be his friend. Given Joe's persistence, Fin doesn't really have a choice, and that's OK, because Joe has a good heart. So does Olivia (ubiquitous indie queen Patricia Clarkson), but, like Fin, she needs her space. Not only did she lose her child, she's dealing with the wreckage of her marriage.

The three characters form delicate friendships, each gaining something from the other, each leaving a piece of their loneliness behind. And that's really what McCarthy is getting at here: the healing balm of human connection, the immeasurable power of human dignity and that we all need someone to lean on, especially in an insular world like ``The Station Agent.''

THE STATION AGENT - Three stars

(R: language and some drug content)

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale.

Director: Tom McCarthy.

Running time: 1 hr. 28 min.

Playing: Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.

In a nutshell: Chamber piece about the healing power of friendship. Somewhat precious, but well-acted.

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Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson make a connection in ``The Station Agent,'' which won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.