Small Things Like These
A quiet Irish coal merchant risks his family’s security when confronting the convent’s buried abuse and the moral compromises of his own community.
Overview
A devoted father uncovers dark secrets in a small town, challenging his beliefs and family ties.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- austere
- intimate
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a somber, absorbing, finely acted literary drama, especially praising its restraint and Cillian Murphy’s performance while noting its deliberately limited tension and abrupt resolution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bill’s conflict unfolds through subdued performances, sparse dialogue, and everyday work and family scenes rather than overt melodrama.
The convent’s disturbing secrets are sustained by the surrounding town’s tacit acceptance and reluctance to intervene.
Bill’s discovery of the convent’s treatment of girls intersects with his own memories and understanding of family vulnerability.
The coal merchant’s routine, the small-town interiors, and the convent encounters are presented with muted, observational gravity.
Films like Small Things Like These, and why
The Magdalene Sisters
understated period drama about institutional power, moral responsibility, and a protagonist confronting communal silence
The Remains of the Day
quiet, emotionally restrained historical drama centered on family, conscience, and social repression
Doubt
somber irish drama exploring religious authority, suppressed trauma, and an individual’s moral awakening
Philomena
slow-burning drama in which ordinary domestic life collides with hidden institutional wrongdoing
Movie Details
- Director
- Tim Mielants
- Release Date
- 2024-11-01
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (609)
Cast
- Cillian Murphy
- Emily Watson
- Michelle Fairley
- Eileen Walsh
- Zara Devlin
- Clare Dunne
- Helen Behan
- Ella Cannon
- Patrick Ryan
- Peter Claffey
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Small Things Like These about?
- A quiet Irish coal merchant risks his family’s security when confronting the convent’s buried abuse and the moral compromises of his own community.
- What is Small Things Like These like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Small Things Like These as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Small Things Like These violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Small Things Like These.
- What did critics think of Small Things Like These?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a somber, absorbing, finely acted literary drama, especially praising its restraint and Cillian Murphy’s performance while noting its deliberately limited tension and abrupt resolution.
- Which films are like Small Things Like These?
- Films with a similar feel include The Magdalene Sisters, The Remains of the Day, Doubt, and Philomena.
- How long is Small Things Like These?
- Small Things Like These runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Small Things Like These?
- In United States, Small Things Like These streams on Hulu.
