Written by Zoe Crombie

For a man with one of the most distinct looking faces in Hollywood, Cillian Murphy has demonstrated an astounding level of versatility in the roles he chooses to play. Beginning his career with unsettling characters like Batman Begins’ Scarecrow and Red Eye’s charismatic terrorist, he slowly moved to authoritative and world conquering men like Peaky Blinder’s Tommy Shelby and Oppenheimer’s titular scientist. It’s rare for Murphy to garner attention through playing someone thoroughly average – but that’s exactly what he’s achieved with his latest role.

An adaptation of Claire Keegan’s acclaimed work of historical fiction, Small Things Like These is a showcase of Murphy’s subtlety in a tale set in his homeland of Ireland. Telling the story of the national atrocity of the Magdalene laundries from the perspective of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five. Through Murphy’s grounded, relatable performance as a man simply trying to do the right thing, the film successfully depicts a devastating women’s rights issue from a small-scale point of view.

Another unexpected gem in the new canon of downbeat Christmas films that most recently inaugurated Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Small Things Like These is an effective adaptation that uses a human voice to depict a historical scandal.

See Small Things like These between 15th Nov & 21st Nov

Click for showtimes and book here!