There’s a question often asked of people throughout their lives and it goes a little something like this: if you were confronted by terrible circumstances, would you aid other people or would you keep your head down for your own sake? People answer this question without truly understanding the sacrifices required of the former (and perhaps more noble) choice. What it means to reckon with this question is the central idea of the new original film, Small Things Like These, based on a novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. 

In this Hulu-original, Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy), a small-town coal merchant in 1980s Ireland, discovers some abuses committed by the nuns in the local convent towards pregnant teenage girls. This discovery forces him to grapple with the corrupt reality of his small town and to make a choice between his family’s safety or his morals. It is due to the film’s performances, cinematography, and other technical effects that allow it to convey its message as well as it does. Please be aware that spoilers are included ahead.

By far, one of the standout performance of the film was Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong. This comes as no surprise since he plays the main character. While known for many “serious” acting roles in Dunkirk (Shivering Soldier), Peaky Blinders (Thomas Shelby), and Oppenheimer (Oppenheimer), Bill Furlong added something to Murphy’s catalog that hasn’t been seen in the mainstream before: a normal person. His understated but clear care for everyone in his community, from his own daughters to other children in his small Irish town, can be difficult to capture for a less-experienced actor. Ultimately, what makes Murphy’s performance stand out is the truthfulness of how he played his character. The humanity that shines through is the only real reason for any sort of plot and Murphy nails it spectacularly.

The other standout performance has to be attributed to Emily Watson as Sister Mary, the nun in charge of the convent. While definitely the antagonist of the story, her nefariousness came through as passive aggression, which manifested itself as indirect bribery and threatening of his daughters’ education at the convent. Like Murphy, the understatedness of her motives, thoughts, and beliefs would have been more challenging to communicate for someone with less experience. Even as an outside viewer, just looking at her pursed lips and raised eyebrows had me shrinking with fright. However, the most terrifying aspect of Watson’s character is the fact that she believes, despite all the evidence towards the contrary, that she and the convent are genuinely doing these girls a favor (through physical abuse). Her performance causes the audience to ask themselves not only what occurs when truth is suppressed but also when the truth is not even agreed upon.

Apart from individual performances, the cinematography stood out upon first watch as a defining characteristic. Many of the camera shots were wide or captured a character from their front, side, and back. The simplicity of the shots allowed the audience to focus solely on the story while simultaneously immersing them in the mundanity of the day-to-day life of this town. Even small effects, like the shaking camera in the scenes where Bill is driving his truck, just added that much more immersion into the world. This simplistic and arguably boring approach to cinematography actually aided the film in conveying its theme. The pace of the film is quite slow, in part due to the relatively ordinary plot. However, it is through the mundanity and boredom that Bill’s act of courage shines through not just as an act of goodness but as a testament of how anyone can do small things, like those done by Bill Furlong, to make a difference. Other examples of my favorite shots include a scene when Bill is lying in bed and it flashes between him as an adult and him as a child (representing his struggle with his own past of his mother being a teen mom/his own “illegitimate” birth), the picturesque snow scenes, and the use of windows to fade in and out of indoor and outdoor scenes (often used as a moral juxtaposition). 

Finally, I wish to highlight the other technical aspects of the film that increased its immersive qualities. The costumes and sets were so distinctly Irish but also so 1980s-inspired. Nothing felt modern (not even the camera(s) used to film the actual movie), which is refreshing in an age of inaccurate historical pieces that take the viewer out of the story. The sound design was absolutely beautiful and added to the mundanity of the lives being portrayed. The film opens with the sound of raindrops on pavement, a common occurrence in Ireland, and ties in other sounds to carry the story forward (radio in truck scenes, Silent Night being sung in Gaelic during Christmas, record players in homes, etc.). Even the shows watched by the daughters are accurate for the time (i.e. the Danger Mouse cameo about halfway through). Overall, the technical crew, like on most creative projects, aided and elevated the film in a way that makes it inconceivable to imagine the story being told any other way.

In short, Small Things Like These is a beautiful film dedicated to examining the power of small actions taken by passionate and strong individuals. The performances, cinematography, and other technical aspects bring this examination to life right before the viewers’ eyes. In today’s world, when so many people feel hopeless and abandoned by certainty in our changing world, a stripped back story about humanity’s ultimate good seems like a worthwhile antidote. While definitely a slow, artsy, and potentially confusing film for some, those with the appetite to analyze and be uplifted by the goodness of a human being should definitely tune it. Small Things Like These is currently streaming on Hulu.