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‘Small Things Like These’ is Beautiful and Horrifying
I will be thinking about this film for a while.
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…
