The Station Agent Movie Analysis

Watching a movie can be entertainment and informative. Some movies are major blockbusters and then there are movies that are written purely on giving the audience an in depth look at critical issues. When depicting a disability as a subject matter it can be a tough subject to conquer however there are movies that can depict it very well. One movie that has depreciated the subject matter of disability in a very accurate way is that of the movie The Station Agent. The movie not only takes its viewers on a very accurate depiction of what it is like having dwarfism it also provides us with numerous profound psychosocial issues.

When the movie starts we see Phin our main character who has the disability of being shorter than others or what we

find later in the film that he has dwarfism. When focusing on the main protagonist of Phin we learn that he has very calm mannerisms in his personal life and his work. But as the movie continues, we see the public which are children making fun of Phin which if I had to guess they were making fun of him since he is different than they are and maybe because they were not taught to treat everyone as equal from their role models. Now as the movie continues Phin is continually made fun or laughed at not only by children but by shop owners and uneducated individuals. One scene that really depicts what is like having the disability of dwarfism is that of the scene where Phin gets drunk and yells at everyone because he think that everyone is looking at him because his is different. But as Phin is able to make new friends from Joe and Olivia we learn that Phin is upset that only a small amount of people appreciate the stresses that he goes through of being different. Another scene that really depicts this scenario is that when Phin is made fun of by his peers, Joe (one of his friends) graciously stands up to them on the behalf of Phin to tell the individuals to stop laughing and making fun of him. Overall the movie was a great depiction of having the disability of dwarfism and in one of the factual scenes ever that I have ever scene is when Phin explains that he is angry that noone sees who he is which is a simple boring person and once they can look closer they will ultimately see that he is just like everyone one else. Since talking about looking closer with individual’s one aspect that the movie depicts very well is the profound psychosocial issues that not only affect the main protagonist Phin but also the main supporting cast members of Joe and Olivia.
With films that focus on disabilities they sometimes focus just on character spiral of their own psychosocial issue but in the movie The Station Agent we are exposed to different and meaningful psychosocial issues that impact serval of the cast members.

To begin one psychosocial issue of acceptance and loneliness had been widely focused on for the main character of Phin. This psychosocial issue of acceptance for Phin is that once his sees that not everyone is as mean as he originally thought he gradually accepts certain individuals as his friends. But as we soon find out later in the film that when Phin losing relationships with his friends he soon realizes that being alone can be a very daunting issue. To add Phin individually copes with his issues by learning more about trains. Another psychosocial issue that is focused on in the film is that of joyful to help conceal a deeper issue of death. In the movie we see that one of the main character named Joe is going through a difficult time in his life with his father who going through health issues and dying. However Joe uses issue of dying to allow him to live life to the fullest such as playing soccer with strangers and making new friends all while his family life crumbling around him. Now for Joe he individually copes with his issues by running his own food truck. One more additional psychosocial issue that is focused on in the film is that of depression. In the movie we discover that the main character Olivia had previous lost a child which can be very devastating to anyone but on top of that she is going through a difficult time in her ex-husband David. At one time during the movie Oliva becomes so depressed that she overdoses on drugs and check herself in a hospital. As for Olivia she individually copes with her issues by painting. However when all three characters of Phin, Joe and Olivia are together in the movie they all feel content and happy to be around each other. Additionally, there are several other

psychosocial issues that are focused on throughout the film with minor characters, but overall with everyone having some sort of issue in their life it eventually brings all of them together. Since watching this movie I would think that this specific movie has made an immense impact on a more understanding of how the public should view individuals with disabilities.
After watching this movie I decided to see what the reviews of the movie were. To my surprised the movie was very well reviewed by others and by individuals with disabilities on how its depiction of having a disability in life. Also the movie was nominated for serval awards especially by how it depicted how life is like having a disability. Furthermore in my opinion the movie was very centered in its story by showing how people with disabilities are treated by the public and with our busy lives we can be able to find time to be their own selves. Lastly in my opinion of how this movie might be reviewed by individuals with disabilities is that the individuals would suggest that it was a respectable reputation aspect of an independent movie about how people with disabilities are treated, but without a bigger budget and A- list stars it could have been grander in size.
After watching The Station Agent my opinion is that it a very well depiction of what it is like having a disability in our society. The movie portrayed the disability of dwarfism very accurately from its main actor and the attitudes of the society around him. In addition the movie also focused on several profound psychosocial aspects from different characters throughout the film. Lastly the movie was very well received by the public and by individuals with disabilities and overall this movie in my opinion has made an immense impact on our society and on how movies should depict on the topic of disabilities.