‘Small Things Like These’ is Beautiful and Horrifying

Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These | Credit: Lionsgate

A man in a small Irish town discovers that the convent is keeping a horrifying secret, causing him to confront his past and decide if he wants to risk his family’s future to do what he believes to be right.

I loved this film, but it’s definitely not for everyone. This story is small and slow, mainly spending time with Bill (Cillian Murphy) as he’s quietly and awkwardly going about his day. It’s a pretty quiet film that isn’t very dialogue-heavy. So, if you’re in the mood for a pretty slow drama about a man grappling with his trauma and conscience, this might be up your alley.

One of the things that I appreciate about Small Things Like These is that the story itself is narrow in scope. Bill is just a regular person who is just trying to get by, provide for his family, and do right by those he encounters. He doesn’t have big ambitions or dreams, but he also can’t look away from injustice when he sees it. And the internal wrestling that he goes through is the main crux of the film.

This film also doesn’t valorize Bill or make him into a hero. He’s just a regular, everyday person who is forced to make a choice. And we feel the weight of this decision as he is thinking about what he has witnessed and experienced. Through conversations with his wife, his friends, and even the nuns themselves, we see just how intertwined his life is with the church. Honestly, it reminded me of watching a mob movie—don’t cross the family. Bill is told again and again not to go against the church; it’s better, instead, to put your head down and just get by.

At one point, his wife Eileen (Eileen Walsh) says, “If you want to get on in this life, there are things you have to ignore.” Despite his best attempts, Bill simply can’t do that. And we go through that internal anguish with him.

Cillian Murphy and Zara Devlin in Small Things Like These | Credit: Lionsgate

Small Things Like These is also beautifully shot. This film doesn’t take place in the picturesque part of Ireland that you see on postcards or social media posts. Instead, this is a small town in the 80s whose main economic drivers seem to be the church, Bill’s coal business, and the local pub. It’s a tight-knit community that also holds a number of sinister secrets.

Because the film is so slow, we often are just sitting in a scene with Bill as he’s taking in the world around him—in the middle of the night when he can’t sleep, as he’s driving around dropping off deliveries, as he’s having dinner with the family. And these shots are composed so well. There are a lot of still shots that help us feel as though we’re in the room with him. We also return to shots again and again, like Bill’s hand-washing routine that he engages in every evening when he gets home. We fall into the routine with Bill because of the repetition of the visuals throughout the film.

Small Things Like These, while beautiful in many ways, doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of living in this town. Even though Bill and his family are fairly well off, their lives are still difficult. Bill and Eileen worry about making ends meet, especially during the Christmas season. We hear of parents in the town who drink and fail to care for their children, and we even see a (presumably) unhoused kid walking the streets one early morning.

Things are difficult here, but somehow Bill manages to hang onto his compassion. And it’s that compassion that causes him such internal strife.

Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These | Credit: Lionsgate

Small Things Like These isn’t for everyone, but it worked for me. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish as Bill contemplates his future and reflects on his own unresolved trauma. It’s slow, quiet, and haunting. The film is strategically paced so that you feel the weight of the Catholic Church in this town, and you understand the ramifications of speaking out against them. You understand the wrestling that Bill does, and the advice of everyone around him telling him to keep to himself.

This film is about a horrifying moment in the history of the Catholic Church in Ireland, and it’s a story that has the potential to stick with you after the credits roll.