Introducing...

You may already know this guy, in which case you are way cooler than me; but I'd like to introduce you to Thomas McCarthy. McCarthy has written and directed two films in the past five years and both movies are incredibly moving, thought provoking, and powerful. Both movies deal with the social outcast or people living on the fringes of society.



The first movie, released in 2003, is called The Station Agent. This little film (which I had never heard off until I saw the second McCarthy film) is rated 95% at Rotten Tomatoes. It is a beautifully, heart-breaking story of three social outcasts coming together to form an extremely unusual friendship. The movie centers on Finn, a 4 foot 6 inch dwarf, who moves into the old train depot after inheriting it from a friend. There he encounters Joe, who runs the his sick father's roach coach, which is daily parked right outside Finn's new home. Finn, who obviously has a serious complex about his height, does everything he can to stay away from the talkative and desperately annoying Joe. Enter Olivia. She is strange, recluse, and just happens to stumble into a weird friendship with Finn and Joe. What follows is the three outcast's desperate attempt at friendship, and it is, in a word, beautiful. Save money (and stick it to the man [read: Hollywood Video, Blockbuster]) and check it out from your local library. If they don't have it, talk to your librarian and get it on inner-library loan.



The second film by McCarthy is called The Visitor. It was released this year and Carrie and I had the joy of seeing it on the big screen about a month or so ago. It currently has a 92% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. In keeping with McCarthy's unusual friendship theme, this movie centers on the strange friendship of the white upper-class, widowed and apathetic Walter (who is in NYC for a conference that he doesn't care about) and Terek, the young, hand-drumming, illegal immigrant from Syria. The two have the strangest of meetings, and from there begin to bond over their mutual love for music. As their bond solidifies into a friendship that transcends age, race, and social status, Walter begins to see life anew while Terek begins to let his barriers (caused by his illegal status) down. The movie takes a dramatic turn when Terek is arrested for allegedly jumping the turnstile in the subway. What ensues is a non-political look at one of the most hotly debated issues of our time: post 9/11 immigration.

Both of these movies are must sees and I would love to hear what you think about them in the comments.