Based on the novel by Claire Keegan, Little things like these
is a quietly profound and meaningful film that shows us the story as it unfolds rather than tells it. Through well-placed flashbacks and a good-hearted protagonist in Cillian Murphy’s Bill Furlong, director Tim Mielants’ film is not only a faithful movie adaptation – thanks to Enda Walsh’s lovely script – but a poignant story about the threat of​​​​ Powerful institutions. People say or do something to help out of fear. Mielants film does a lot with little dialogue, setting the stage for something rich and thought-provoking.
The brave have much to lose, and Little things like these is effective in his handling of Bill’s story. A coal merchant, Bill delivers bags of it to various people and locations in his small Irish town. At home, he has five girls and a wife, Eileen (Eileen Walsh), to take care of. The family gets by and often struggles financially, especially around Christmas, but Bill is haunted by Sarah (Zara Devlin), a young woman at a Magdalene Laundry, an institution run by Catholic nuns, who asks for his help one day after Bill wanders into .
Little things like these are rich storytelling
Bill is warm, soft-hearted and kind. He mostly keeps to himself, but we can see hints of Eileen’s frustration with him in his refusal to open up. Meeting Sarah brings Bill back to his past, and it is here that the film’s flashbacks weave into the story. Mielants deftly handles these moments and, although it takes a while for us to settle into the story, we begin to understand more of it through exceptionally staged scenes and interactions.
Little things like these is not a film interested in spoon-feeding us information; It asks us to focus and pay attention, to be patient on its journey. The emotional payoff is earned by the end, and the tension is slowly built throughout the film so that when a confrontation between Bill and Sister Mary, the convent’s mother superior (Chernobyls Emily Watson), happens – nuts with underlying threats never spoken out loud – it gave me chills. The film is cutting in its exploration of our responsibilities in a society that covers things up and has innocents pay the price.
…Little things like these Imagine what someone who acts on the morals that everyone else claims to have would do in this situation.
Bill, feeling that something is wrong from the beginning and even seeing it with his own eyes, grapples with what to do. We see the conflict play out on his face and in his body language. His mind is ill at ease, while others suggest he should stay out of things that don’t immediately concern him. In this example, Bill can draw on his own experiences growing up with a mother who left him out of wedlock, but who was cared for by Mrs. Wilson (Michelle Fairley) and Ned (Mark McKenna), who worked for Mrs. Wilson, after His mother’s death.
in many ways, Little things like these Imagine what someone who acts on the morals that everyone else claims to have would do in this situation. It is an ideal to some extent, but a palpable one, because it underscores the social consent in horrifying situations, regardless of one individual act. Such a film, although in the 80s, is always timely considering the never-ending atrocities in our world. The film asks us what we would do while putting Bill in the middle of it all; His struggles are obvious as he internally fights with himself to make a decision.
Little Things Like These boasts a stunning performance from Cillian Murphy
His acting here is mesmerizing
Bill is a character who is not strong against anything, and he does not consider himself righteous. The fact that he is such a quiet observer makes Little things like these Feel more harrowing and urgent. Murphy is pitch-perfect as Bill, turning inward in body and mind. The film’s sparse dialogue means the actor relies more on his physicality to express Bill’s inner turmoil. Murphy does this seamlessly, bringing us into his pain in a reflective way that evokes a multitude of feelings.
Whether Murphy bows his head when conversing with Sister Mary, physically emphasizing his fear and wariness of her, or his eyes grow wide with memory or in thought, he articulates everything Bill says without regret. Murphy pulls us in with just a look or gesture, his performance magnetic and layered. The supporting cast is also excellent, although they have less to do. Devlin brings an urgent desperation to her performance as Sarah, but she is also resigned to her fate and quietly sad. And in just one scene, Watson is commanding, her performance a force to be reckoned with.
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In just over 90 minutes, Little things like these Can be captivating and grim, desperate yet hopeful. It’s a bit slow to start, but the beauty of the film is that it takes its time to lay out its story and the emotion embedded in everything is as captivating as it is gut-wrenching. It made me feel so much – heartbreak, anger, horror – but I appreciated the starkness and tenderness with which Mielants chose to tell this story. His examination of society and powerful institutions – their influence and strength – compared to individual responsibility and resistance to them is immensely moving.
Little things like these Screened at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival. The film is 98 minutes long and rated PG-13 for thematic material.
- Cillian Murphy gives a powerful, sad performance
- The story is excellently told and nuanced
- Little things like these are captivating even in their grimness