Small Things Like These
The orphaned child of an unwed mother, Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) now supports his wife Eileen (Eileen Walsh, "The Magdalene Sisters") and five daughters running a coal and timber business in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. One day near Christmas in 1985 as he makes a delivery to the Good Shepherd Convent, he's disturbed by the sight of a teenaged girl's mother and a nun forcing her into the facility against her will, something which makes him remember his own past in "Small Things Like These."
Laura's Review: B
Belgian director Tim Mielants applies a gentle touch to harsh subject matter (unwed expecting women and other 'problematic' females were forced into the abusive Catholic Magdalene laundries for decades in Ireland, facing abuse and even death), skillfully bringing us into Bill's internal struggle with living in a community that turns a blind eye to abuse, fearful of an all powerful Catholic Church. In his first performance since winning the Oscar for "Oppenheimer," Cillian Murphy might make Bill a man of few words, yet he tells us everything we need to know about the man and his surroundings with his contemplative demeanor, perhaps the only true Christian in a religious stronghold. Screenwriter Enda Walsh's adaptation of Claire Keegan's novel suggests rather than tells outright, keeping us within Bill's perspective.
After shoveling coal into sacks along with his workers, Bill sets off in the company truck to make deliveries and after his harrowing observation at the convent, he'll see a young boy walking along the side of the road picking up sticks and branches for fuel. Bill stops and offers the boy a ride, which is shyly turned down, so he offers the kid all the change in his pocket along with holiday wishes. Later, relating the incident to his wife, she'll note that the boy's father is a drinker and the money will probably go towards a bottle. Unable to sleep that night, Bill will sit in a chair by a window overlooking the street, witnessing an inebriated young couple walking home. Teenaged hormones permeate the air.
As Eileen frets about Christmas expenses, the Furlong daughters ask Bill about holiday gifts past and he fondly remembers having gotten a jigsaw puzzle, noting he didn't want for much, but a flashback tells a different story. As the illegitimate son of a young maid (Agnes O'Casey), Bill was well treated by her wealthy employer, Mrs. Wilson (Michelle Fairley, TV's 'Gangs of London'), who took the boy into the main building of her estate when his mother died unexpectedly from an aneurism. But the puzzle he had asked for turned out to be a hot water bottle, something his mother assured the disappointed lad would keep him warm and toasty. More importantly, in the present, Bill realizes that Mrs. Wilson shielded he and his mother from more overt ostracization by the community, something afforded none of the girls in her circumstance now. And as he becomes more anguished about the situation, especially after finding Sarah Redmond (Zara Devlin) locked in a cold outdoor shed at the convent, he'll decide to take action, first privately, then very publicly, after everyone from a local pub owner to his own wife advises keeping quiet to avoid retribution which could even impact his daughters' education. As Eileen says, ‘If you want to get on in life, there’s things you have to ignore, so you can keep on.‘
Mielants employs a slow build, teasing out details of Bill's past as he wrestles with his present, the mood of the community settling in like a thick fog over holiday lights. Bill's first inclination to act is after finding the shivering girl huddled in the shed and his confrontation with Sister Mary (Emily Mortimer) is one of the film's highlights, Mortimer saying and doing all the right things in his and Sarah's presence, but the atmosphere as she leads him towards her office, the profitable Magdalene laundry operation visible through doors and windows, is menacing thanks to her expertly tuned delivery. An envelope addressed to Eileen is akin to forty pieces of silver, but Bill's act on Christmas Eve is one of compassion and hope. "Small Things Like These" leaves us contemplating the Furlong family's future in New Ross, but we know one man has taken the words of Jesus to heart.
Robin's Review: B
Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) runs a small energy business, delivering coal and wood to the locals. On one delivery, he sees a young woman being pushed and pulled into a nunnery, a common occurrence in 1985. But, when one of the women taken pleads for his help, he is torn apart by the shocking truth in “Small Things Like These.”
Back in 2002, actor Peter Mullen put on his director’s cap and made “The Magdalene Sisters” about the “fallen women” in Ireland taken in to what was, until 1996, sanctioned slavery. With “Small Things Like These,” director Tim Mielants and writer Enda Walsh cover the same territory, but here from the viewpoint of the outsider looking in.
Bill is a struggling businessman, delivering coal and wood to the residences and businesses, including a Catholic nunnery, Then, he sees the young woman being forced in, but life’s burdens take precedence. He is the father of five daughters and providing for them is a full-time job.
One day, he needs to have nuns pay for the coal and enters the nunnery. Very soon, one young woman, scrubbing floors, grabs him and pleads for his help. She is quickly pulled away. Then, soon after when making another delivery, he finds the woman, locked in and cowering in the coal bin. He returns her and the incident is glossed over.
This begins the emotional upheaval Bill feels within. After all, he has five daughters and each could suffer the same fate as the young women in the nunnery. As we watch, we can feel the turmoil he is going through and the reasons for his future action. It is a very subtle character study by Cillian Murphy and it is an internal struggle well depicted.
Amazingly, these Magdalene laundries, where indentured servitude reigned, continued the oppression of these “fallen” women until, as said, 1996, when it was finally banned. That “Small Things Like These” takes place in 1985 and this institutionalized slavery existed is real food for thought about our institutions and how the people are treated.
Lionsgate releases "Small Things Like These" in theaters on 11/8/24.
