Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy takes on a powerful role in the upcoming Lionsgate drama Small Things Like These, where he portrays a coal merchant and father struggling with the dark secrets of a convent sanctioned by the Catholic Church. The film, set for release on November 8, shines a spotlight on abuses within the Church in 1980s Ireland.
In the trailer, Murphy’s character, Bill Furlong, witnesses unsettling events while delivering coal to a local convent. One haunting scene shows a young girl being dragged inside by her mother, begging to be released. “Mommy, please! Stop it! No please! I’m not going in there,” she cries as Furlong silently watches. Watch the trailer below.
Set against the backdrop of 1985, just before Christmas, Furlong’s continued encounters with the convent force him to confront his own buried traumas. As he uncovers the horrifying abuses occurring behind the convent walls, Furlong is faced with a moral dilemma that challenges his silence. “You want to watch what you say, about what’s there,” he is warned, hinting at the Church’s far-reaching influence.
The film, adapted from Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novella, draws upon the grim history of the Magdalene Laundries—infamous institutions run by the Catholic Church in Ireland, where so-called “fallen women” were forced to work under harsh conditions. Although these asylums were shut down by 1996, the scandal surrounding their operation remains a painful chapter in Irish history.
Small Things Like These is directed by Tim Mielants, with a screenplay by Enda Walsh. The cast also includes Emily Watson alongside Murphy, whose portrayal of the reserved yet deeply principled Furlong has been lauded by critics. In contrast to his intense performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Murphy’s role here is quieter, but no less powerful. His subtle expressions and silences convey the character’s deep-seated grief and internal conflict.
The film premiered as the opening night feature at the Berlin Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. The Hollywood Reporter praised Murphy’s performance, calling it a stark departure from his recent work: “Murphy fleshes [Furlong] out with loaded silences and pained gestures, his pale, expressive eyes conveying a world of hurt, of trauma yanked back to the surface by startling experience.”
Small Things Like These was produced by Murphy and his production partner Alan Moloney, through their company Big Things Films. The project also has the backing of Artists Equity, the studio founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who also co-starred with Murphy in Oppenheimer. Alongside Murphy, Moloney, Damon, Catherine Magee, and Drew Vinton served as producers, while Affleck, Kevin Halloran, and Michael Joe acted as executive producers.
As Small Things Like These heads to theaters, it promises to offer a deeply emotional portrayal of one man’s battle against silence and complicity in the face of institutionalized cruelty.
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