For everyone Small Things Like These
Not all great art has to be hefty. While Dubliner James Joyce’s revered tome Ulysses runs north of 700 pages, skip forward a century and beloved author Claire Keegan’s unforgettable novel Small Things Like These packs a mighty punch in a touch over 100 pages.
Thankfully, director Tim Mielants’ film, adapted by playwright Enda Walsh, does it justice.
Cillian Murphy delivers a sublimely judged performance as kind-hearted Bill Furlong. A husband and father, Bill’s trust in the good of this world is rattled during a regular coal delivery to the village’s neighbouring convent, closely guarded by Emily Watson’s imperious Mother Superior.
Accidentally uncovering the ghastly truth behind Ireland’s abusive Magdalene laundries, will he turn a blind eye to the shivering, starving, soot-cloaked young girl he finds locked in an outhouse, or burn it all down?
After winning the Oscar for Oppenheimer, Murphy’s deftly judged performance opens up a profoundly interior novel, conveying its aching heart without ever shouting.
Astounding.
