‘Small Things Like These’ (2024)

A historical drama focused on a small Irish town in the 1980’s, ‘Small Things Like These’ follows Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy). A devoted family man, Bill leads a simple life, working hard to provide for his wife and daughters. Setting off on his coal delivery earlier than expected one morning, Bill opens the coal shed of a local convent to find a young woman, Sarah (Zara Devlin), hiding in freezing temperatures. The incident prompts Bill to recollect his childhood and how difficult it was growing up with a single mother.

Largely a character driven piece, the film follows the scattered and disconcerting memories Bill has of his childhood. Revealed periodically, flashbacks to the protagonists adolescence uncover that he had a single mother, and was conceived out of wedlock. Shunned by her own family, she was lucky enough to be taken in by an independent woman, a landowner who could afford the luxury of autonomy.

Casting light on a hard to digest topic, ‘Small Things Like These’ addresses the Magdalene laundries, effectively institutions that young women were confined to as they were deemed ‘fallen women’. Run by the Catholic church, the asylums housed women who had become pregnant outside of marriage, deeming them unfit to form part of the community.

Depicting the overbearing power that is exercised by the church in the small community, the film ensures that the audience is well informed of the deep-rooted and persistent influence the organization has on almost all aspects of the town’s life.

Carrying the film is Cillian Murphy as Bill. Quiet and composed, Murphy presents an ever simmering resentment, fear and anxiety about the character’s past and future. Raised by a single mother, not knowing who his father is and ostracized by his peers in his youth, Bill had grown up ashamed of his past. Simultaneously fearing the church due to its sway over everything that goes on in the small town, Bill struggles to decide what the right thing to do is when it comes to the young woman he had seen in the coal shed.

Speaking to the weight the church carries within the community, Bill is reminded a few times, by his wife Eileen (Eileen Walsh) and a local pub owner Mrs. Kehoe (Helen Behan) that he should consider the future of his daughters. Should he decide to go against the church, his daughters may in the future be denied admission to the local schools, also run by the church.

Torn, the movie allows Murphy to display the conflict within by letting the character deliver constrained and muted responses in conversation. Choking back tears, Murphy illustrates the heartbreak and dread he has for the future as his moral compass points him towards the right, albeit more difficult, path to take.

Uncertain of the ramifications that he and his family may need to endure at the hands of the Catholic church, Bill chooses to do the just thing and help Sarah. Helping her along, the two go to Bill’s house, in full view of their neighbors. Unsure of how the two will be received at home, they walk in as the screen cuts to black, allowing each viewer to decide for themselves how the family welcomed them.

With the ever present eye of the Catholic church bearing down on the town and Bill, the film explores the cultural impact the church has at the time on the local community. Emily Watson portrays the mouthpiece of the church and the local convent as Sister Mary. A dominating presence, Watson commands the room in every instance and exercises her power over Bill. Sensing that he fears the authority, Sister Mary feels comfortable enough to pressure Bill into taking a bribe to silence him and ensure Bill is further conflicted about doing what needs to be done.

Heartbreaking and eye-opening, ‘Small Things Like These’ remind us that certain social structures cannot be tolerated purely on their institutional status and long stretching history. Archaic and dated practices must be opposed even if it comes at personal expense.

The film encourages one to dare to take a risk when it comes to preventing further damage to others and where it may perpetuate a sadistic and evil practice. An excellent reminder of the fact that bad things happen when good people do nothing, ‘Small Things Like These’ encourage small and positive changes, which can lead to a seismic shift amongst all of us.

Score: 4/4