A Review of ‘Stationed at Home’: A quirky, heart-warming alternative to a lonely Christmas eve
A few residents of a small town keep running into each other while trying to beat loneliness on a festive night.
‘Stationed at Home’: A quirky, heart-warming alternative to a lonely Christmas eve
Cast: Erik Bjarnar, Lyle Schneider, Scott Williams, R. M. Fury, Cassie Morris, Darryle Johnson, Misty Monroe, Kieren Munson-Burke, Andy Rich, Peter Foster Morris, Jamie Donnelly, Jeff Dumont, Eliza Vancort, Ihor, Jon Cesar, Elijah Brown, Endres Kincaid, Alek Osinski, Marissa Accordino, Drea Berg, Hugo Gallo, Robin Alpaugh
Critic’s Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
Director: Daniel V. Masciari
Duration: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Release: 2025
What’s it about?
A few residents of a small town keep running into each other while trying to beat loneliness on a festive night.
Review:
Rarely have melancholy and humour blended as smoothly as they do in Stationed at Home. Indeed, viewers are in for appealing few escapades on what initially sets out to be a lonely Christmas Eve. Adventure, connection, misdemeanours and redemption unfold in an unusually understated manner and at a languid pace, as we follow the movements of a handful of characters over the year’s most celebrated night. Simple but effective dialogue and visuals that often speak for themselves make for a minimalistic but pleasing experience. This, while the distinctive characters do adequate justice to their roles and play off each other with charming ease. Plus, thrown into the mix is an endearing dose of sentimentality and nostalgia. If this film suffers from one flaw, it’s perhaps the flippancy with which it conveys its drama and the occasionally awkward juxtaposition with comedy.
The movie opens with the single and elderly cab driver Ralph (Erik Bjarnar) feeding his cat before setting out for the night shift. The taciturn man picks up his first passenger Harry (Darryle Johnson) at a convenience store where the lady clerk turns down the latter’s pleas for a reconciliation. Realising that they are spending another festive season alone, Harry and Ralph strike up a friendship which is partially based on their interest in scratch cards (i.e., cards that reveal possible monitory rewards on being scratched with a quarter coin). Other folks that meet up or cross paths with these two are the cynically intelligent wastrel George (Peter Foster Morris); the loud and reckless out-of-towner Jack (Jeff DuMont); the enigmatic hotel loner guest Elaine (Eliza VanCort); the conflicted and heavy-drinking Stan (Endres Kincaid); a warm and engaging radio DJ (Scott Williams), and a snarky cop (Alek Osinski). Adding further to the texture of the film are subsidiary characters like a pug-snuggling cab dispatcher (Ruby Max Fury); a sad hotel receptionist; a lady bartender; a father-son duo playing an indoor game outdoors; a strip club manager; a lap dancer; and the mayor.
Yes, director Daniel V. Masciari along with his co-scripters Jackson Jarvis and Vincent Krohn, have fun interweaving the trajectories of their characters - generating camaraderie, poignancy and even a touch of suspense. What’s more, there is an intriguing abundance of curious motifs, which include a recurring TV show of aliens accosting Santa Claus, images of rockets, strange pebbles, dumplings and dictaphones. These tie in subtly yet effectively with the mentality of Ralph and Co. and the threat of an endangered Christmas. A longing for the presence of family is ironically exemplified in Stan’s statement “Distance makes us love each other more” when talking about his fiancé who lives abroad. This, while the theme of aimlessness in life is well captured when Harry, George and Sam dawdle around without purpose or destination. The trio is literally spent, which includes their financial situation. The filmmakers also infuse a sense of mystery surrounding Elaine by displaying her frustrated type-writer and her surreal encounter in a performance hall.
There are refreshing opinions and observations courtesy George, but the running joke about the moon-landing wears a little thin… before attaining significance when Jack’s true identity is revealed. Also, the cop taints Jack’s image in an exchange with Ralph, which adds some edginess to the film’s narrative. Plus, in a completely unexpected move, the timid Ralph veers from his character, inviting the question – does an unwanted man want to be “wanted” at whatever the cost? Adding to the implausibility of this character shift is a shot of magical realism set in outer space. And the sense of other-worldly anticipation is characterised in the eager wait for an International Space Station to light up New York’s Binghamton sky.
Among the movie’s few pitfalls is the curious lack of Christmas decorations in most of the scenes. Is this, along with the film’s black & white veneer, to demonstrate the dullness of the Christmas season for those on screen? Stationed at Home might remind movie aficionados of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985), though this effort is far more laudable. Meanwhile, those viewers who are familiar with the works of independent cinema filmmaker Jim Jarmusch might be reminded of his idiosyncratic approach to alienation and deadpan humour. In conclusion, one wonders whether it takes a celestial event for down-hearted folks like Ralph to follow his mother’s words and “always look up.”
