Small Things Like These

In 1985, Bill Furlong earns his living selling coal to support a growing family and maintaining a quiet routine in a close knit Irish town. One ordinary delivery pulls him into a web of troubling secrets housed at the local convent, and the truth he uncovers shakes more than his own past. The revelations ripple through a community famed for its pious exterior and whispered loyalties, revealing how silence can shelter harm as surely as faith can shelter hope. As memories resurface, Bill must confront long buried choices and decide what kind of courage a man owes to those he loves and to himself. This is a restrained drama about conscience under pressure and accountability for his family and himself.

Directed by Tim Mielants, the film adapts Claire Keegan's novella with a screenplay by Enda Walsh. A 2024 release that brings Keegan's spare, precise storytelling to the screen with a strong Irish ensemble, including Murphy, Watson, and a tight production.

Worldwide box office stands at about 12.5 million dollars, well above its modest 3 million budget. The result signals strong art house appeal and a global reach that extends beyond festival premieres to general release, and prioritizes mood and acting.

The film has sparked conversations about faith and accountability in small town Ireland, highlighting how collective silence can shield wrongdoing as well as preserve community ties. Its measured tone and stark setting invite viewers to consider memory, guilt, and moral responsibility without sensationalism, and the quiet precision of its craft.

Audiences and critics give the film a thoughtful response, rating it 6.7 out of 10 from 454 votes. The drama centers on truth versus silence, the weight of memory, and how ordinary lives bear extraordinary moral questions. Murphy's restraint and Watson's warmth anchor the performances, truly leaving a lasting impression.