Small Things Like These Review: Cillian Murphy Delivers Hard-Hitting Drama


Fresh off his Oscar-winning turn in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy is back with yet another daring performance in a much lower-profile film, but don't let its small-scale nature deceive you. With the backing of Artists' Equity (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company), Small Things Like These supplies Murphy with one of his best performances to date — conveniently timed close to Nolan's WWII masterpiece, of course.







In his Oscar-nominated film from 1995, Spike Lee's character is told by a fellow Big Apple resident to "do the right thing" — hence the name of Lee's groundbreaking feature. In Small Things Like These, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan, Murphy's heroic protagonist Ben Furlong is determined to achieve a similar goal in his small Irish town run by the Catholic Church, which may or may not be knee-deep in corrupt operations. If you're worried about the mundane way the film kicks off, just you wait, as Murphy leads a slow-burn saga that will leave you fist-pumping with a matched determination.





Ben Furlong vs. the World




Just in time for the holiday season, Small Things Like These takes place around Christmastime. Could this be the feel-good movie of the season we've been waiting for? Not quite. And given the yuletide timing of the events that unfold, should the Catholic church be forgiven of any corrupt sins as Murphy's Ben slowly uncovers dark truths, piece by piece? "Why all the fuss, Ben?" 'Tis the season!" Well, you be the judge.



That's not to say Ben is just a hardnosed, two-dimensional hero-figure going through the motions in the new film by director Tim Mielants, working off Enda Walsh's script. Small Things Like These becomes an insightful and groundbreaking character study that takes us through his life, including a series of stunning flashback sequences that shed light on the man he's become later in life.




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Glimpses of Ben's early years show a young boy in generally the same part of Ireland, growing up with a loving mother (Agnes O'Casey) who perhaps birthed him too young. They carry out a modest living that isn't yet comfortable enough to yield Ben the presents he truly desires around the holidays, but he loves his parents all the same.



Then, a certain family tragedy strikes, which seemingly still chills grownup Ben to the core, all these decades later. Now a modest business owner, loving husband, and father of a whole spread of children, Ben still finds time to preoccupy large chunks of his day — and brain — with revisiting such traumatic memories, especially since he still walks the same parts of town as his younger self.






A DIY Investigation of the Catholic Church




Our early years of innocence and self-discovery are undoubtedly instrumental in crafting the person we grow to become, so perhaps that's why such memories return to Ben as he begins a DIY investigation of the increasingly hostile climate around this surface-level innocent town, and what's really going on behind closed doors with the younger generation, particularly the young women who are apparently acting out to such a horrid degree that their own families are dumping them on a local convent run by the Catholic Church and its terrifyingly pompous mother superior, Sister Mary (Emily Watson, oozing sleaze).






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By chance, as he's delivering a shipment one night, Ben happens to notice one of the girls abandoned outside the convent in the middle of the night, as if thrown out by the convent's regulators. Her name is Sarah (the terrific Zara Devlin), and after Ben sees her locked outside on multiple occasions, his sixth sense is more than tingling about what's transpiring on the inside.





A Harrowing Buildup to a Neat and Tidy Conclusion








The series of events around town that build up to Ben finally taking matters into his own hands almost have a Catcher in the Rye effect, though they don't exactly lead to a mental breakdown as is implied in J.D. Salinger's iconic novel. Instead, they explain why Ben finally snaps, but in the best possible way — effectively shrugging off the urges of locals such as bar owner Mrs. Kehoe (Helen Behan), who insists Ben should just leave the Church alone. Even Ben's lovable wife Eileen (the excellent Eileen Walsh) starts expressing her doubts about Ben's rogue mission. But Murphy is a master of expression, with those piercing eyes often conveying all that needs to be said about the current predicament on-screen.



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Some of these harrowing moments are depicted without any musical score accompaniment, making certain verbal-chicken exchanges between Murphy and Watson all the more bone-chilling. Just wait for the harrowing third act, followed by a series of ending title cards revealing the real-life tragedy on which this tale is based. It's an eye-opening saga that might just garner Murphy another round of awards buzz.



You'll also appreciate the neat and tidy way in which it all wraps up, without lingering or drawing things out unnecessarily, as is the case with too many drama films these days. It's bang-bang-boom, and you'll fall in love with Murphy once again. From Lionsgate, Small Things Like These will be released in U.S. theaters on November 8.



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