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Based on the award-winning novel, this indie film tells the gripping story of a small-town coal merchant that made a horrific discovery in the convents of rural Ireland. This is the 1st trailer for Small Things Like These.
Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) works hard as a coal merchant in 1985 small-town Ireland leading up to Christmas. As the cold worsens, Bill’s life mainly focuses on his small family and laborious work.
One day, Bill witnesses a young “fallen woman” (i.e a young woman deemed impure due to her virginity being taken) being forcibly dragged into the local convent. Disturbed, Bill slowly uncovers the shocking true story of the Magdalene Laundries, a series of asylums in Ireland that mistreated and murdered women deemed impure by society.
Small Things Like These (2024) – source: Artists Equity
As Bill grapples with the atrocities he witnessed, he must make the terrible decision to walk against Ireland’s looming religious institutions and even his precious community.
The 1st trailer for Small Things Like These portrays a quietly heart-pounding real-life story about an ordinary man’s morals facing off against a powerfully unjust pillar of society. The trailer’s pacing slowly ratchets up the tension, letting you feel the mounting pain on the face of lead actor Cillian Murphy.
Murphy, known for his unmatched non-verbal acting ability, turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as a surly bloke with a sound heart. Despite his weathered face and few words, Murphy grounds the film by selling Bill Furlong as a true paragon of good against the twisted morals of those around him. And yet, the film never threatens to oversell its moral battle. There are no big showy moments in the 1st trailer, huge confrontation, or epic agenda.
And yet, director Tim Mielants sells every minute of panic and emotion with the smallest of details. If the 1st trailer is anything to go by, this small-town Irish fable won’t leave a dry eye in theatergoers from every corner of the Earth.
Directed by Tim Mielants, Small Things Like These will be released theatrically in the US on November 8, 2024.
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