Small Things Like These
Dickensian drama starring Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) as a coal merchant who stumbles upon a secret of a convent in an Irish port town in the 1980s. Based on the novel of the same name by Claire Keegan.
The story is set in 1980s Ireland, where the Catholic Church wielded a stifling influence. Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five daughters, lives a modest life. His peaceful existence is disrupted when he discovers a horrible secret in the local convent.
Earlier this year, the Irish-Belgian production had the honour of opening the Berlinale, where it received rave reviews from the international press. Actress Emily Watson won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. The film is adapted from a novel by Irish author Claire Keegan – known for her short story FOSTER, which previously received a film adaptation as THE QUIET GIRL.
Without referring to them by name, SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE sheds light on the abusive practices of Ireland’s notorious Magdalene laundries where ‘fallen’ women were housed in deplorable conditions and forced to work without payment. Many of them were pregnant and had to give up their babies for adoption once they were born. The last of these laundries was closed in 1996, but it wasn’t until 2013 that an official apology was issued by the Irish state to the tens of thousands of victims.