The Zone of Interest, one of the best films of last year, looked at a Germany family living a normal life during World War II while thousands of Jews were murdered in a concentration camp next door.  It highlighted how “easy” it can be to turn a blind eye to atrocities in our own backyard.  Small Things Like These explores similar themes.  The characters are fictitious but it is centred on actual events which took place in Ireland across several decades.  The particular setting here is 1985 with the source material being a highly acclaimed novel, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, authored by Claire Keegan.

The film is also notable as it marks the first performance of Cillian Murphy since he won the Academy Award for his leading turn in Oppenheimer.  It’s hard to imagine a bigger contrast between the two movies and the two characters.  There, he was part of a 180-minute, big studio funded epic playing an acclaimed nuclear physicist dubbed “the father of the atomic bomb.”  Here, he’s part of a 98-minute, low-budget indie.  He steps into the dirty shoes of Bill Furlong, a poor, softly spoken coal trader named who resides with his wife and five daughters in a small Irish town.  Bill comes across as a kind-hearted man, but his quiet nature leaves you wondering what he’s thinking on the inside.  Is he content with life?  Is he happy?

We follow Bill’s interactions with a variety of folk, but the film’s one-two punch comes from his dealings with a convent run by secretive nuns.  Bill delivers coal on a regular basis and he’s seen enough to know something isn’t right within the convent’s walls.  When a young woman passionately pleads for help, he faces a tough moral decision.  Is he prepared to stand up to the power of the Catholic Church and risk alienation from the religious townsfolk?  On the flipside, is it possible to bottle his feelings and continue to ignore?  Reflections on his own childhood, which we see as flashbacks, shape his answer.

Shot on a small budget and co-produced by Matt Damon, Small Things Like These is a subtle, moving drama.  Director Tim Mielants does a terrific job capturing the essence of the time – from the gloomy weight of poverty through to the glimpses of joy brought from Christmas holidays.  Screenwriter Enda Walsh uses dialogue only when necessary and slowly ratches up the tension.  Perhaps the best scene in the film is an exchange between Bill and the convent’s head, played by Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves), who is quick to weave her charm, influence, and money.

Winner of best picture at the Irish Film & Television Awards (edging out the equally good Kneecap), Small Things Like These is a stirring character study and an important history lesson.