Small Things Like These Movie Review (2024)
A slow-burning drama about a coal merchant who becomes aware of the horrors hidden within his Irish community, Small Things Like These builds its mystery and tension through Cillian Murphy’s painfully honest performance, a heavy atmosphere, and a haunting exploration of conscience and complicity.
When I watch a new movie, there’s a 90% chance that I know nothing or very little about it. If I’ve watched the trailer, that’s all I know, and if I come across it on streaming, I only look to make sure it isn’t a horror film (I don’t like horror!) and then hit play. Very rarely do I wish that I’d read up on it before (the last movie like that was Hidden Agenda last year), but it does happen. And this is one of those times. Not knowing anything about this movie, I took a little while to understand the nuances of what I was watching. Be sure to read my review or a small blurb about this first.
Small Things Like These is about Bill Furlong, a married father of five daughters who works as a coal merchant. Most families in the area are just getting by financially, and Bill is haunted by his past, what could have become of him and his mother, and what he sees in town. With a modest living, a family to take care of, and a wife who encourages him to mind his own business since there are eyes all over, Bill must decide what to do.
This film is set in 1985 in Ireland, when the Magdalene laundries were active. These laundries were prison-like facilities for girls and women who were considered problems. Whether you had been raped or seduced, found yourself pregnant, had a dominant personality, had mental health issues, or were sentenced by the courts, thousands were sent to the laundries, where Roman Catholic nuns or employees inflicted harsh punishments. Babies were taken away from mothers after birth, and many survivors now live in silence or don’t know the origins of their family. The last of these homes closed in 1994. Think about that.
This is a visually cold, muted movie that echoes the environment’s somber mood. It’s a restrained and atmospheric movie, so the visuals and haunting score evoke your emotions as the story unfolds very gradually.
Cillian Murphy gives a soulful performance, keeping his words and feelings close to the vest. You see in his eyes and body everything he is feeling, he doesn’t have to speak. But when he does, it feels as if it’s been earned or forced. As a father of five and son of a single mother, he knows what could be and what could have been. He walks a fine line with his deep feelings seeping out of the cracks in his facade.
Small Things Like These is not an easy film, and it asks the audience to read between the lines of the silence. It is quietly devastating and may take a while to build your understanding, but near the middle, more questions and answers begin to fill out. This film is unique in its focus on various children who might need help but aren’t the main characters, so Bill’s quiet process, observations, and pondering of his conscience become a fascinating focal point.
Runtime: 99 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Available: Free on Hulu and Disney+, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
