Small Things Like These

Small Things Like These is a historical drama starring Cillian Murphy. I suppose for the purposes of award season this qualifies as an international film but when I do my wishes and wants it's gonna go wherever I think it should be. Cillian has proven time and again that he is an incredibly powerful leading man so I was excited to see him in a quieter film. Especially one I knew he was excited about as he helped produce the film as well. This is based on a book that was very much based on a true story, so the framing of this story is rooted in reality.

This man has so many daughters, dear lord, that is too many kids. I couldn’t even count but it feels like too many. I was right. It's 5 kids and that is simply too many kids.

This poor little boy is getting bullied. I will fight so many little kids for this little boy. OHHHH it's the dad. We are going through time. I see.

This family is struggling financially, which is what happens when you have 1000 kids. But all these girls go to catholic school so we don’t believe in birth control. Procreated like bunnies is a big religious thing.

Poor baby. Hey yo, if your kid only asks for one thing for Christmas, and it's really simple, regardless of your financial situation, you figure out how to get that baby the thing that they asked for.

When Billy is dropping off a shipment of coal he is confronted by a young girl that begs for help. He is very shaken by the interaction.

Damn these nuns are really bitchy. It's pretty obvious that they are hiding something. He tells his wife about his interaction and she really says “it's none of our business”, how very small town catholic of you. She is really doubling down on the fact that these girls aren’t hers so they shouldn’t care. Ew. But Billy was raised by a young, poor mother who might have ended up in a place like that were it not for the kindness of others.

Even after his mother died, the older woman that was helping them took him in.

The way that we are jumping back and forth in time is really well down. Cillian immediately looks like he is reliving these memories when it cuts back to present day, and it is clearly taking an emotional toll on him. The lighting in the flashbacks seems to be a little richer and warmer, which I love. Whenever you do a flashback in any film there should be a color grading difference.

UGH Evil nun. Billy took her back into the convent thinking he was helping. But if you find a young girl locked in the shed I would perhaps not take her back to the people that most likely locked her in there. Especially not after a different young woman asked you to help her escape.

Trying to use his wife and his daughters' futures against him is pretty gross. Does Emily Watson only play horrible and manipulative characters?

So much of this movie happens in silence, the scene of Cillian walking through town in the middle of the night and opening the shed because he knew that girl would be locked in there again was phenomenal. I love it when film use action to tell their stories and this one does a fantastic job.

Overall I think it was a heartbreaking and incredible film. Cillian was incredible as always, and the fact that this was even a little bit based on a true story is devastating. It was beautiful to watch and the message is important. The theme really centers around the kindness of strangers. Don’t allow societal expectations keep you from doing what is right. Beautiful 10/10.