“Small Things Like These” A Deeply Moving Drama

With the Fall Film Festival starting up at the Dietrich Theater, I wanted to take a look at a couple recent independent releases. So, for this particular review, I took a look at a Cillian Murphy independent film “Small Things Like These,” which is currently available to stream on Hulu.

“Small Things Like These” takes place over Christmas in 1985, when devoted father and coal merchant Bill Furlong discovers startling secrets kept by the convent in his town, along with some shocking truths of his own.

The film reveals truths about Ireland’s Magdalene laundries - horrific asylums run by Roman Catholic institutions from the 1820s until 1996, ostensibly to reform “fallen young women.” Adapted from the Booker Prize nominated novel by Claire Keegan.

The 2024 independent film “Small Things Like These” is a haunting and deeply moving drama that has an emotional resonance that can linger long after you’re done watching this film. While all of the performances, especially from Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, are extremely powerful, as is the entire film itself, the film can be a little slow-moving at times.

One of the most powerful moments in this film is also the film’s central conflict: Bill’s discovery of a young, pregnant girl (Sarah), locked in a cold shed at the convent. His efforts to help the young girl leads to a very tense encounter with the Mother Superior, who actually subtly manipulates Sarah into lying about the situation to protect the convent’s image.

There's also an important moment in this film not long after Bill discovers the girl where Bill’s wife (Eileen) tells him: “To get on in this life, there are some things you have to ignore.” This line alone serves as a reminder of the societal pressure to conform and remain silent in the face of injustice, a conflict that Bill is struggling with.

Throughout the film, Cillian Murphy delivers a subtle, low-key performance that brilliantly conveys immense depth and emotion with not so much dialogue, which also makes his character’s internal struggle compelling. There’s also the film’s central theme of taking a stand against injustice, emphasizing that courage is found in the small things one does to help others, even when facing overwhelming societal pressures.

Despite some mixed opinions on its pacing, the overwhelming sentiment is that the film is a critically acclaimed and deeply impactful film. It’s celebrated for its subtle yet furious portrayal of a difficult subject, which leaves viewers with a lasting impression and a renewed commitment to moral action.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements  (runtime 98 minutes).

You can currently stream “Small Things Like These” on Hulu or rent it on various PVOD rental services.

• Cillian Murphy is a fan of the film's original novel writer Claire Keegan. He remembers reading her novel "Foster" on a train and having to pull his hoodie over his face because he was crying.

• Cillian Murphy pitched the film to Matt Damon during the production of Oppenheimer (2023). The film ended up being produced by him and Ben Affleck under their Artists Equity banner.

• The film is dedicated to the women victims of the Magdalene Laundries, which ran from 1922 to 1998.

• Eileen Walsh, who plays the wife to Cillian Murphy's character, also played a main character in The Magdalene Sisters (2002). Both movies deal with the horrors that went on for young women in the Magdalene "laundries".

• Opening film at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.