"The Railway Station Man" is beautiful in many ways. The locations in Ireland are beautiful; Julie Christie is beautiful; and the acting is beautiful. But because of the ending, it is one of the most depressing films I have ever seen.
Helen Cuffe (Julie Christie) is a widow living alone in a quiet seaside village. She paints as a hobby, and is visited occasionally by her son, who is attending college in Dublin. Roger Hawthorne (Donald Sutherland) is a newcomer to the village. An injured war veteran, he dreams of restoring the defunct railway station, using money he inherited from his mother. Mrs. Cuffe and Mr. Hawthorne have both settled into lives of "quiet desperation" (as Thoreau put it), and are resigned to live them out alone. He is wary of her at first, but after a few false starts, they become lovers. Being in love awakens her creativity and his enthusiasm for life.
Unfortunately, this is Ireland and Mrs. Cuffe's son is involved with a terrorist group. He is only a messenger, but she worries greatly about his safety - with good reason, as it turns out. I won't go into detail about the ending, except to say that the happiness that seems imminent for Mrs. Cuffe and Mr. Hawthorne is suddenly and cruelly denied them. Realistic, perhaps, but undeniably tragic.
Helen Cuffe (Julie Christie) is a widow living alone in a quiet seaside village. She paints as a hobby, and is visited occasionally by her son, who is attending college in Dublin. Roger Hawthorne (Donald Sutherland) is a newcomer to the village. An injured war veteran, he dreams of restoring the defunct railway station, using money he inherited from his mother. Mrs. Cuffe and Mr. Hawthorne have both settled into lives of "quiet desperation" (as Thoreau put it), and are resigned to live them out alone. He is wary of her at first, but after a few false starts, they become lovers. Being in love awakens her creativity and his enthusiasm for life.
Unfortunately, this is Ireland and Mrs. Cuffe's son is involved with a terrorist group. He is only a messenger, but she worries greatly about his safety - with good reason, as it turns out. I won't go into detail about the ending, except to say that the happiness that seems imminent for Mrs. Cuffe and Mr. Hawthorne is suddenly and cruelly denied them. Realistic, perhaps, but undeniably tragic.