What is Cillian Murphy's follow-up to his Best Actor-winning performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the Oscar Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer? How about a more personal drama set in Ireland based on an award-winning novel? That's what audiences will be getting with Murphy’s 2024 new movie, Small Things Like These.
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These first premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival in February 2024, where it received some strong notices and picked up an acting award; not for Murphy (though his performance has been touted by some critics), but for his co-star Emily Watson. Landing in the thick of the awards season, can the movie drum up some more accolades?
Too soon to know that, but we’ve got everything else you need to know about Small Things Like These right here.
How to watch Small Things Like These
Small Things Like These is now playing exclusively in movie theaters in the US, UK and elsewhere. Here are all the details on how to watch Small Things Like These.
Small Things Like These cast
Cillian Murphy headlines Small Things Like These as the coal merchant and father Bill Furlong. In addition to his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, Murphy is known for his role as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders (which he is going to reprise for the Peaky Blinders movie), as well as his other collaborations with Christopher Nolan, which include The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception. In addition to starring in the movie, Murphy is a producer, alongside fellow actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (though they are not slated to appear in the movie).
As mentioned, Emily Watson also stars as a nun who oversees the local convent, a performance that has already received some hardware (for Best Supporting Performance from Berlinale). Watson is herself a two-time Oscar-nominated actress for Breaking the Waves and Hilary and Jackie. Her other credits include Punch-Drunk Love, Chernoybl and, upcoming, Dune: Prophecy.
Other members of the Small Things Like These case include Eileen Walsh (Women on the Verge), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Clare Dunne (Kin), Helen Behan (Malpractice) and Zara Devlin (Modern Love).
Small Things Like These plot
Claire Keegan's book was adapted for the big screen by Enda Walsh. Here is the official synopsis:
"Oscar winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as devoted father Bill Furlong in this film based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. While working as a coal merchant to support his family, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church."
Small Things Like These trailer
Watch the trailer for Small Things Like These right here:
Small Things Like These reviews
Reviews from the movie's screening at film festivals have given us a sense of how it's being received. As of November 8, Small Things Like These is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 92%.
Read WTW's Small Things Like These review.
Tim Mielants movies
Tim Mielants got his start as a director in TV, helming episodes for Code 37, Zingaburia, Professor T., Peaky Blinders, The Terror, Legion and The Responder. On the movie side, here is his list of feature-directing credits to date:
- Patrick (2019)
- Nobody Has to Know (2021)
- Will (2023)
