This 94%-Rated Movie Is Cillian Murphy's Most Quiet & Heart-Wrenching Drama

Cillian Murphy is an actor who speaks volumes through his silence. In Peaky Blinders, he played the icy-cold, restrained Thomas Shelby, in Oppenheimer, he portrayed a man torn by internal conflict.

However, he has never been quieter, more vulnerable, or more poignant than in Small Things Like These – this film quietly but inexorably weighs on the viewer with the gravity of silent choices.

What Is 'Small Things Like These' About?

Ireland, 1985. Bill Furlong is a coal miner, a caring father of five daughters, and a husband who is struggling to make ends meet on Christmas Eve. His life consists of dreary routines: hard work, meager dinners, and brief moments with his family.

One day, during a delivery to a convent, he sees nuns forcibly drag a young woman into the church – this event haunts him. He begins to remember his own childhood: he grew up without a father, and his mother was one of those "fallen women" whom society and the Church ostracized.

Seeing a young woman named Sarah locked in a coal shed overnight, Bill cannot remain indifferent.

In 'Small Things Like These', Silence Speaks Louder Than Words

Small Things Like These is a meditative film that eschews fuss. Director Tim Mielants creates an oppressive and nearly claustrophobic atmosphere in a small Irish town where every step is on display, and any deviation from the norm is met with ostracism.

The cinematography and faded color palette emphasize the pervasive hopelessness and coldness in the characters' lives. However, the movie's greatest weapon is silence.

Cillian Murphy has only about ten minutes of dialogue throughout the film – he conveys the rest of the story through his eyes, pauses, and barely perceptible movements.

Scenes in which he simply sits by the window looking out into the night or stops a truck in the middle of the road trying to catch his breath carry more meaning than any monologue.

'Small Things Like These' Is Based on an Event That Many Irish People Consider a Stain on Their History

At first, Small Things Like These doesn't feel like a historical drama – it seems to be the story of an average man trying to provide for his wife and five daughters.

However, Tim Mielants soon shifts the focus to a different aspect of the story. While working, Bill finds a shivering girl in the shed of a local monastery. He immediately realizes where the girl came from: the monastery houses a Magdalene orphanage, and everyone in the small town knows the fate of the women there.

The horrors of the religious institution remain behind the scenes. We only catch a glimpse of the laundries' inner workings and learn little about the girl other than the obvious fact that she needs help.

Small Things Like These doesn't attempt to depict the orphanage's activities in detail. Instead, it depicts the experience of a man with a huge heart who faces a moral dilemma: should he, like everyone else, turn a blind eye to what's happening or should he remain true to his principles and stand up for those in need?

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Small Things Like These'?

• Small Things Like These has 94% from critics and 81% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.7/10.

• On Letterboxd, Small Things Like These scored 3.5/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Small Things Like These'?

Small Things Like These is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.