Sunday 11 May 2025, 3:30 pm
Rainbow Cinemas, Northumberland Mall
Synopsis
Wondrously adapted from the Claire Keegan's novel, Small Things Like These is a strong film, emotional, radical, deep. It explores the infamous Magdalene Laundries, the Irish Catholic institution where pregnant or "promiscuous" women could effectively be incarcerated for life.
The story is told through the kinder eyes of Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy), a dutiful father and coal wholesaler who, while delivering coal over Christmas 1985 discovers the shocking truth about the local convent. Bill's discovery forces him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a town controlled by the local Catholic church.
Directed By: Tim Mielants
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Emily Watson, Clare Dunne, & Helen Behan.
Genre: Drama
Country/Language: Ireland/English
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 1h 37m
Review by Graham
Set in 1985 and right before Christmas, Small Things Like These follows Bill Furlong. He is the local coalman and is a respected family man. During this time of year, he seems to be having trouble finding rest though. He awakes at night and stares out onto the street, remembering his youth with his mother. Then one day he comes across a girl in the coalhouse of the local convent and it sparks something in him.
Small Things Like These is an incredible telling of one of the darker points in Irish history. The film tells the story of the tragedy of these events from a fascinating point of view. We see what it takes for a community to ignore such cruelty. We also see what that can do to the mentality of people who can't handle it anymore.
Cillian Murphy plays Bill with a heartbreaking vulnerability. This is a man who works hard, loves his family and gets on with everyone. However, as the film progresses we learn about a personal tragedy that informs how he feels about what is going on around him.
The direction of the film is on point, reminding us of the looming threat that are the nuns. When Emily Watson's Mother Superior has a pivotal scene with Bill it feels like a deal with the devil is made at its conclusion.
The scene is suitably atmospheric, unnerving and even how the actors hold themselves informs the mood of the moment. It's incredibly effective and emotional. There is also an underlying tension throughout the film as the presence of the nuns becomes more prominent. With Bill's large family of five girls, I couldn't help but think of what is going through his mind when he meets with the Mother Superior.
Small Things Like These is an impressive film, an understated film that relies on its impressive writing and award-worthy performances to carry it and it works. Stories like these need to be told again and again so that we never allow these atrocities to happen again. Go out and check out this film, it will be worth your time.