Christmas is not always the happiest time of the year. For melancholic family man Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy), the usual financial stresses and pains from labouring coal are not the only things that trouble him this holiday season. There is a weight over his conscience, suffocating his soul and forcing him to question if ‘that just being the way of things’ is a good justification for not challenging the way things are.
In a small, rural town in 80s Ireland, the Catholic Church has its fist clenched tightly around the lives of all in the parish- particularly the lives of the young women. In Small Things Like These, Bill Furlong prizes the fingers open to see what is being concealed- and what, if anything, can be done about it.
Cillian Murphy captivates as the quiet, introspective father to several daughters, who, driven by curiosity and guilt, investigates the happenings of the local Magdalene Laundries after finding a girl half frozen to death in the coal house.
Based on the book by Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These is set in a fictional town, focusing on fictional characters but telling a very real story.
Murphy delivers the harrowing sorrow of the film with extraordinary elegance and gentleness. Equally beautiful are the soft visuals, directed by Tim Mielants, and the sound of the film. Murphy also finds his talent matched by Emily Watson, who plays the skin-crawling Sister Mary.
However, the film is a little too slow, and the abused women are somehow overshadowed, despite them being the root of the story. Although Bill is an intently fascinating character, with a past, personality, and composure that is more than enough to drive the narrative of Small Things Like These.
Bill has a troubled past, which the audience sees much of. In his adult life, hesitancy lingers so long before any action is taken that each act is consistently a surprise. Bill carries such a heavy air of defeatism that he isn’t even surprised by his heroism; he hardly even sees it.
Small Things Like These is another example of excellent Irish cinema. If you find yourself wanting to see a real example of Christmas kindness, this is the film to watch.
Feature Image Credit: Lionsgate
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