On 12 May, in Chambéry, we were lucky to discover the film Small Things Like These directed by Tim Mielants. Small Things Like These was initially a novel that was written by Claire Keegan. Cillian Murphy was cast in the role of Bill Furlong, the main character. He is well-known for being the main character of the Netflix series Peaky Blinders or the movie Oppenheimer. The movie is heart wrenching and is probably a reality check in the world of cinema, in a feminist way. 

This film presents the story of Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, who was born to a very young, unmarried mother who died when he was a child. The story is set in New Ross during the first half of the 80s. Bill lives in this Irish town with his wife and his five daughters. One of his customers is a scary place : the Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry of New Ross. His life will change with the meeting of Sarah as he is delivering coal there. The argument of the film is on the inner struggle on whether he should help a woman who is in danger in this place or not. The weather has a very important role in the mood of the film and introduces pathetic fallacy (i.e. the weather reflects the character’s mindset). The protagonist finds himself stuck between his traumatic childhood and the difficulty of Irish society.

Indeed, during the 20th century, this country was still very conservative and the Catholic Church had a huge influence on it. For example, the ban on abortion was only repealed in 2018. Because of mores, people were pretty strict about having sex out of wedlock. During that period, women couldn’t be protected by contraception (in 1935, contraceptives had been made illegal) and plus, they couldn’t abort (in 1983 the 8th amendment enshrined the ban on abortion). So it was really easy to get pregnant and at that time, being pregnant was not seen very well. At that time, in Ireland, society was really hard on women (law of silence). They had to fit in with the ideals of the Catholic Church, and the ones who didn’t, were locked in religious places: the Magdalene Laundries. Between 1922 and 1996, Magdalene Laundries were places where girls and women considered as “fallen women” were incarcerated for promiscuity, for having sex out of wedlock or because they were seen as burdens on the State. The threat of being sent to these institutions was very stressful for women. Many died there, due to the harsh living conditions and the nuns’ cruelty. They were dehumanised and reduced to servitude. The working conditions were extremely bad: girls had no pay, their names were changed, they could not own their own clothes and could not have friends. If they had a baby it was taken away from them and adopted by a “good Catholic family”. 

Personal Reviews:

Alysse: If you want emotions, drama, suspense and a little bit of humanity in this mean world, you can—no—you must watch this movie NOW. 

Clémence: I found this movie really interesting and immersive. The actors were excellent in their roles, and the main topic was taboo for a long time in Ireland, and it’s kind of illustrating how women’s rights have evolved. 

Mina: This movie is very moving and the topic is approached with a lot of softness. It shows really well the denial of society. The character of Cillian Murphy tries hard to act and not take part in this monstrosity. As always he is a very good actor. There was not a lot of music but it’s quite logical with the mood of the movie. And it is a very beautiful way to remember or learn about the atrocities that were committed. 

Augustin: The colour work and the tone are really dark. For a dark movie, the colour work imitates the story. The streets at night, the rain and the weather introduce a difficult society in Ireland. For me it is an incredible movie to understand Irish society, the working class and the life of a small town.

Evan: This film was pretty good but maybe a bit too short. I like the visual identity of it a lot. Moreover, the storyline was definitely great, with switches between the character’s childhood and his current life, even though sometimes it was going in circles a bit.