A quiet Irish town, a devoted family man and a discovery that changes everything collide in Small Things Like These, a deeply moving 2024 drama starring Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy. Set in Ireland in 1985, the film explores a disturbing chapter of history through the eyes of an ordinary man forced to confront an uncomfortable truth.
Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five daughters, spends his days delivering fuel to homes and businesses in his small community. Although he leads a modest life, his own childhood has left him with a deep understanding of hardship and the importance of kindness. As Christmas approaches, an unexpected encounter at a local convent exposes him to something troubling that he cannot simply ignore.
What Bill discovers forces him to question the silence surrounding the institution and the role played by people who live and work within the community. As pressure mounts, he faces a difficult choice between protecting his family’s stability and doing what he believes is right. His quiet struggle becomes a powerful examination of courage, compassion and the cost of speaking out.
Directed by Tim Mielants and based on Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novella, the film features an outstanding cast, including Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley and Emily Watson. Murphy’s restrained performance captures the emotional weight of a man wrestling with his conscience, while the film’s muted cinematography and atmospheric setting create a sense of unease that lingers throughout.
Behind its understated storytelling lies a painful historical reality connected to Ireland’s Magdalene laundries and the treatment of vulnerable women. Rather than relying on sensationalism, the film examines how fear, social pressure and collective silence can allow injustice to continue.
Small Things Like These is a moving and thought-provoking drama about the quiet decisions that can define a person’s character. Its story asks a haunting question: when doing the right thing comes at a personal cost, will one man find the courage to act? Details below 👇
