“Small Things Like These” is the upcoming drama starring Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson that will hit the big screen in November and promises a hefty dose of drama, with a story that highlights a dark chapter in Ireland’s past.
Directed by Tim Mielants, the movie tackles moral dilemmas, complicity, and courage, reflecting the broader truths about the Magdalene Laundries and their impact on generations of women.
The production is not only carried out by a highly talented team but also by the “Oppenheimer” actor himself, who is producing through his company, Big Things Films, marking his first title in this role.
Is Small Things Like These based on real events?
“Small Things Like These” is not directly based on a true story, but it is deeply inspired by real historical events in Ireland, particularly the abuses that occurred in the Magdalene Laundries.
These institutions, managed by the Catholic Church, operated in Ireland throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Women and girls deemed “fallen” (often for being single and pregnant) were sent to these laundries.
Although Claire Keegan’s novel tells a fictional story set in the 1980s, it reflects the reality of these laundries and the widespread complicity of Irish society and religious institutions in these abuses.
The character of Bill Furlong (played by the talented Cillian Murphy) and his experiences are fictional, but they are set against the real backdrop of these laundries and the abuses they represented.
