Director: Tim Mielants
A small Irish town in December 1985 sets the stage for Small Things Like These, a quiet drama that follows a coal merchant confronting an uncomfortable truth close to home.
What is Small Things Like These about?
Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant played by Cillian Murphy, spends the weeks before Christmas making deliveries around his hometown. Married with five daughters, he seems to have built a stable, ordinary life. A delivery to the local convent laundry changes that. What he witnesses inside forces him to weigh silence against conscience, and the choice tests both his marriage and his standing in a close-knit community where the church holds enormous influence.
Cast & crew
Cillian Murphy anchors the film as Furlong, working in a lower register than his higher-profile roles, letting hesitation and restraint carry the character. Emily Watson brings a controlled menace to the convent's Mother Superior, while Eileen Walsh and Clare Dunne fill out the town around him. Director Tim Mielants keeps the ensemble grounded, favoring small gestures over big speeches.
Context & significance
The film adapts Claire Keegan's novella of the same name and is set against the real history of Ireland's Magdalene laundries, institutions run by religious orders that operated for much of the 20th century. Belgium, Ireland and the United States co-produced the project, and it premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024 before a wider theatrical release. Mielants, known for television work including Peaky Blinders, makes his feature approach patient and observational rather than dramatic. At 98 minutes, the film keeps its focus tight on Furlong's household and daily rounds, letting the surrounding town's silence build pressure gradually instead of through confrontation.
Where & how to watch
Small Things Like These is available to stream on K-Time with a free account login, presented with a Farsi-dubbed track and Persian subtitles for viewers who prefer either option. The K-Time interface is built around Farsi navigation, making it straightforward for Persian-speaking audiences to find and follow the film.