--- title: "Small Things Like These: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/small-things-like-these/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/small-things-like-these" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Small Things Like These (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 18 reviews: 17 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are warm and narrow in their reasons. Nearly every critic puts Cillian Murphy first, praising a performance built on stillness, minimal dialogue and small physical detail as a coal merchant whose conscience is stirred by what he sees at the local convent. Praise also gathers around the restraint of Tim Mielants’ direction, the period detail of mid-1980s Ireland and the film’s refusal of melodrama in handling the Magdalene laundries; several critics single out Emily Watson’s menacing Mother Superior as the element that gives the film its threat. Reservations are few and mostly about pace, with a handful warning that the slow, sombre approach will lose some viewers. The dissent is quiet. Slant finds the moral scheme too clear-cut and the drama at times hokey, and Deadline argues the film turns Claire Keegan’s novella into a trauma narrative that loses the book’s tact. No review is negative. ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★★. 31 October 2024. Cillian Murphy is riveting as a fuel merchant in this delicate, graceful adaptation set in 1980s Ireland that asks how we can be good amid the Magdalene laundries scandal. It proceeds with gossamer restraint and is thrilling in its subtlety. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/07989176-8076-4990-8a9d-c977fa2d084e) ## IndieWire — Rachel Pronger Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2024. Festival review. Cillian Murphy gives another staggering performance in this profound Irish gem. Tim Mielants' understated adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella packs surprising dramatic power. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-1234954261/) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2024. Cillian Murphy mesmerises with moving vulnerability and hypnotic grace as a coal merchant who takes a stand against the cruelties of a Magdalene laundry in this tight-lipped, sad Irish drama. The film is shouldered with heroic understatement that could move mountains. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Rating Critics Pick. 15 February 2024. Festival review. Mielants' subdued but powerful Berlinale opener is a mournful moral drama in which a father's conscience challenges the community's code of silence around the Magdalene laundries. It singles out Cillian Murphy's quiet intensity and exquisitely pained performance as the emotional core. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-1235911791/) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 16 February 2024. Festival review. Murphy excels with stillness and control in this understated character study of trauma and moral choice. The film captures mid-1980s rural Ireland with subtlety, avoiding melodrama while highlighting the Magdalene laundries. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/small-things-like-these-review/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2024. The adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella is an atmospheric study in human decency set in 1980s Ireland, with Cillian Murphy as a coal merchant who performs a small but costly act of kindness. It casts a powerful spell despite its message of hardship and self-sacrifice. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/02/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-shines-as-quiet-hero-in-powerful-80s-ireland-morality-tale-claire-keegan-tim-mielant-enda-walsh-magdalene-laundries) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2024. Festival review. Cillian Murphy delivers a restrained yet heart-rending performance as a decent coal merchant whose encounter with cruelty at a local convent reopens old wounds and forces a moral reckoning. The film is subtle, resonant, and crisply unsentimental in its treatment of intergenerational trauma and complicity. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-1235825750/) ## Time Out — Stephen A Russell Rating 4/5. 15 February 2024. Festival review. Murphy gives a profound, understated performance as a coal merchant grappling with conscience in 1980s Ireland. The film quietly explores themes of looking away versus acting, in the spirit of another Keegan adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/small-things-like-these-review-2024) ## The AV Club — Brianna Zigler Rating B. 5 November 2024. Cillian Murphy anchors this quiet, meditative portrait of a small town’s open secret as a coal merchant tormented by moral conflict over the Magdalene laundries. The film functions as a parable about how minor acts of kindness can counter systemic corruption. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/small-things-like-these-review) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2024. Cillian Murphy impresses again in this adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella about confronting Ireland’s Magdalene laundries. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/small-things-like-these-film-review-cillian-murphy-claire-keegan-2f2g0r8x5) ## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 17 February 2024. Festival review. The film fashions a believable vision of mid-1980s Ireland with meticulous realism, but its moral schema has the clarity of melodrama and at times gives way to hokey drama. Murphy convincingly embodies the quietly empathetic lead. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy/) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara 11 November 2024. The film is a deliberate, understated drama that powerfully examines how good people allow bad things to happen through silence and complicity. Murphy's magnetic, taciturn performance as the coal merchant anchors the story and provides its quiet hope. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/small-things-like-these/) ## RogerEbert.com — Sheila O'Malley 8 November 2024. The film is a powerful, quiet drama about Ireland's Magdalene Laundries that stays faithful to Claire Keegan's novella. It singles out Cillian Murphy's marvelously expressive yet inward performance as the coal merchant whose conscience is stirred. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/small-things-like-these-film-review) ## Screen Daily 15 February 2024. Festival review. Murphy brings quiet intensity to the role of a man facing a crisis of conscience in this intimate adaptation. The controlled direction and subtle emotional weight make it a compelling, if sombre, Berlinale opener. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/small-things-like-these-berlin-review/5190562.article) ## Sight and Sound 22 February 2024. Festival review. The film offers an authentic, restrained portrait of 1980s Ireland through its attention to period detail and atmosphere. Murphy delivers a subtle performance as a man confronting his town's complicity in the Magdalene laundries. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/small-things-like-these-this-grimy-moving-portrait-1980s-ireland-knows-power-restraint) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland 1 November 2024. Murphy delivers an astounding, magnetic performance as the monosyllabic coalman confronting institutional abuse. The film is a beautifully simple, slow-burn story of moral courage and complicity set against the Magdalene Laundries. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-astounding-3350308) ## Total Film — James Mottram 7 October 2024. Festival review. Murphy proves less is more with a thoughtful, introspective turn as the coal merchant whose past traumas surface amid the convent scandal. Mielants crafts a dank, oppressive mood and understated power that grows through small moments and excellent supporting performances. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/drama-movies/small-things-like-these-review/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2024. The film comes close to perfect as a reverent, capably constructed adaptation; the critic praises Cillian Murphy's incredible performance of stillness, smallness and precise physical detail as the standout element. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/small-things-like-these-2024-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 November 2024. The critic lauds the film as a harrowing, accurate portrayal of Irish life under Catholic Church influence during the Magdalene laundries era. They single out Cillian Murphy's masterful inward performance, conveying an entire life of fears and indignation with extremely minimal dialogue. [Read the review](https://collider.com/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy/) ## Film Stories — James Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 October 2024. A quietly brilliant, powerfully understated drama about a coalman struggling to ignore injustice in his community. The critic singles out Cillian Murphy's mesmeric performance as the element that holds the simple, small world together. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/small-things-like-these-review-a-quietly-brilliant-cillian-murphy-powerhouse/) ## The Playlist — Rafa Sales Ross Rating B+. 17 February 2024. Festival review. A chillingly effective religious drama that harnesses horror tropes in a muted way; the critic praises Cillian Murphy's anchored performance and the emotional restraint culminating in a single tear, while noting the festival context. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-anchors-chillingly-effective-religious-drama-berlinale-20240217/) ## NME — Lou Thomas Rating 4/5. 16 February 2024. Festival review. Praises Murphy's powerful performance in this sombre, slower drama about complicity in Magdalene Laundries, highlighting careful direction, cinematography, and Watson's terrifying supporting role; notes it may deter some due to pace but is intelligent. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/cillian-murphy-small-things-like-these-review-3588681) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2024. Festival review. Murphy anchors this modest gem of an impressionistic morality play about a good man confronting complicity and moral choice in 1980s Ireland. The film excels in mood, visual texture and empathetic exploration of loneliness and ethical dilemmas akin to those in Zone of Interest. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/cillian-murphy-small-things-like-these-review/) ## Digital Spy — Emily Stedman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2024. The critic finds it a quietly moving morality tale that delicately handles the topic of Magdalene Laundries with minimal but effective storytelling, praising Murphy's sympathetic performance and Watson's chilling turn, while noting the subtle storytelling delivers the emotional blow despite a potentially slow pace. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a62745532/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy/) ## Deadline — Stephanie Bunbury 15 February 2024. Festival review. The film turns the source novel into a trauma narrative centered on Murphy's visibly tormented performance, but misses the original's tactful understatement and nuance. Emily Watson's menacing Mother Superior is singled out as the element that injects high stakes and vivid threat into the proceedings. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/02/small-things-like-these-review-cillian-murphy-emily-watson-80s-set-irish-trauma-tale-berlin-film-festival-1235826556/) ## Paste — Nadira Begum Rating 8.7. 25 October 2024. The critic praises Cillian Murphy's absorbing and affecting performance as the coal merchant Bill Furlong, noting his quiet grace and physicality in conveying trauma. They highlight the film's emphasis on willful ignorance and passive complicity in the Magdalene laundries abuses, with its dedication serving as a timely reminder of recent horrors. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/small-things-like-these/small-things-like-these-review-drama-cillian-murphy-convent-magdalene-laundry-abuse) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/small-things-like-these.md