Small Things Like These - 💥💥💥

Director: Tim Mielants 
Writers: Claire Keegan (based on the novel by) and Enda Walsh (screenplay by) 
Release Date: 1st November 2024 
Hot Rating: 💥💥💥

Synopsis: In a small Irish town in the 1980s, coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) discovers a young girl hidden away in the convent laundry, forcing him to confront the secrets and hypocrisies of his community.

Review: Small Things Like These is a quiet and understated drama that tackles a difficult subject with reverence and sensitivity. Cillian Murphy delivers a nuanced performance as Bill Furlong, conveying a wealth of emotion with minimal dialogue and piercing expressions. The film maintains a consistently emotive tone, capturing the bleak atmosphere of a small Irish town in the 1980s. The static camera work and muted color palette create a sense of claustrophobia, reflecting the constrained lives of the characters and the secrets they hold. However, the film's understated approach is also its weakness. Small Things Like These relies heavily on the subtleties of Murphy's performance and its minimal camera work, leaving little room for dramatic flourishes. While the film handles its subject matter with care, this is a story that arguably worked better on the page, in Claire Keegan's novel, where descriptions and small movements could unfurl in a more organic manner. 

Image: YouTube