In this episode of the podcast, Alex Heeney reviews and discuses the Irish independent film Small Things Like These, its cultural context, and why it’s worth seeing.
View all of our TIFF 2024 coverage
On today’s episode, Alex recommends the Cillian Murphy Irish drama Small Things Like These, directed by Tim Mielants. Based on the novella by Claire Keegan, the film’s screenplay is by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, who has collaborated with Murphy for decades. The film Small Things Like These addresses a dark chapter of Irish history from a side angle: the story of a man who realizes he can no longer be silently complicit in the abuse of unwed mothers by the Catholic Church.
Oscar Winner Cillian Murphy stars as Bill Furlong, a coal man and father of five, who witnesses something he shouldn’t at the local Magdalene Laundry that he can’t stop thinking about. He begins to wonder whether he can do something to help, and if he can, if he can justify continuing to look away and being complicit in the abuse of unwed mothers by the Catholic Church. The film is a thoughtful and subtle character study that’s just as much about Bill Furlong, who is a bit of an outsider, as the world around him.
In the episode, Alex gives some background on the history of the Magdalene Laundries, discusses why the film is worth seeing, and discusses how the film addresses reproductive rights, complicity, and systems of oppression surrounding unwed mothers in Ireland. She also recommends some related viewing for listeners interested in the subject of the film and in Cillian Murphy’s work.
The episode is spoiler-free.
Show notes on the film Small Things Like These
- Read Alex’s review of Pray for Our Sinners, a documentary about Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes
- Read Alex’s review of The Delinquent Season, a hidden gem starring Cillian Murphy.
- Learn about the uncovering of history of the Magdalene Laundries through this piece reported in the New York Times.
- Read the Irish government’s 2021 report on Mother and Baby Homes
- Read the Irish government’s 2013 report on the Magdalene Laundries
Podcast Credits for Small Things Like These
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram. Read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
An AI-generated transcript for the episode is available at the bottom of the page.
