Small Things Like These (2024)
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A coal merchant in 1980s Ireland faces a moral dilemma when he witnesses the plight of women in a local convent.
The story
In late December 1985, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in the Irish town of New Ross, delivers supplies to a local convent. During his routine work, he witnesses a teenage girl being forcibly admitted to the institution, an event that triggers painful memories of his own difficult childhood and his past relationship with a wealthy landowner. When a girl in the convent desperately asks for his help to escape, Bill is confronted by the convent's mother superior. The film follows Bill's internal and external struggle as he navigates the moral implications of the convent's existence and the fate of the women held within its walls.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In December 1985, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in New Ross, Ireland, discovers the grim reality of the local convent. After witnessing a girl being forced inside and later finding another girl, Sarah, locked in a freezing coal shed, Bill is confronted by Sister Mary. She warns him that speaking out could jeopardize his daughters' education. Despite his wife Eileen's warnings not to interfere, Bill's conscience is haunted by his own past as an orphan. He eventually discovers that Sarah is pregnant and is being punished by the convent. After a series of internal conflicts and reflections on his past with a man named Ned, Bill decides to act. He rescues Sarah from the coal shed and carries her through the town to his own home, bringing her into his family's care. The film concludes with a dedication to the 56,000 victims of the Magdalene laundries.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- Ireland; Belgium
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tim Mielants
- Writers
- Enda Walsh · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Cillian Murphy · Bill Furlong; Eileen Walsh · Eileen Furlong; Michelle Fairley · Mrs Wilson; Emily Watson · Sister Mary; Clare Dunne · Sister Carmel; Helen Behan · Mrs Kehoe; Liadán Dunlea · Kathleen Furlong; Agnes O'Casey · Sarah Furlong; Mark McKenna · Ned; Zara Devlin · Sarah Redmond
- Genres
- historical drama
- Themes
- moral courage; institutional abuse; memory; social conscience
- Tone and mood
- somber; unhurried; moving
- Premise and plot tags
- historical; drama; Irish
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2021 novella by Claire Keegan
- Content notes
- historical drama
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with some describing it as a 'modest gem' and a 'masterpiece'.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Production trivia
- The film is based on a 2021 novella by Claire Keegan.; The film features a dedication to the 56,000 victims of the Magdalene laundries.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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