Small Things Like These

Set in Ireland in 1985, Small Things Like These follows Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in a small County Wexford town who supports his wife and daughters through the busiest weeks of his year. On a delivery to the local convent shortly before Christmas, he comes upon something he was not meant to see, and what he learns about the place and the young women kept there unsettles him. As others in the town look away, Bill is left to weigh the cost of speaking up against the silence that surrounds him, and the discovery pulls him back toward painful parts of his own past. The film is based on Claire Keegan's novel of the same name.

Tim Mielants directed, working from a screenplay by Enda Walsh; the film sits between Mielants's WILL and Steve in his directing credits. Cillian Murphy, who also produced alongside Matt Damon and Alan Moloney, leads as Bill, with Emily Watson, Michelle Fairley, Eileen Walsh, Zara Devlin and Helen Behan in supporting roles. Made for about 3 million dollars, the film took roughly 15 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget.

Audiences rate it 6.7/10 on IMDb, from about 36,000 votes, and 6.7/10 on TMDB, from around 600 votes, while the critics' rating stands higher at 7.7/10 from 124 reviews.