Some artists set out to explore cultures and their people, while others are more focused on defining events and how they changed the course of history. Claire Keegan has shown herself to be fascinated by both concepts, with her small but substantial body of work being some of the most brilliant writing on the subject of Irish history. Delicate, earnest and complex character studies that are as much about various moments in the past as they are about the people that defined them, her novels and short stories have already left a substantial impression, and naturally made their way to the screen, adapted by directors who see the immense value in her work. The Quiet Girl was one of the most astonishing works of cinema of the present decade, and it was recently followed by Small Things Like These, a slightly more ambitious production which tells the story of an ordinary working-class coal merchant who encounters a heavily pregnant teenager one evening, and upon returning her to the convent in which she lives inadvertently unearths the existence of the Magdalene Laundries, a variety of institutions run by the Catholic Church, who claimed to be providing sanctuary for “fallen” women, but in reality exploit these unwed mothers for financial gain, essentially acting as workhouses in which the nuns could garner cheap labour, knowing that they have full control over these women, who are in turn coerced into complying with these cruel procedures in fears of being ousted from a society on whose margins they already barely reside. Adapted by Enda Walsh (an acclaimed playwright and screenwriter in his own right who has been seen as a similarly essential voice in contemporary Irish literature) and directed by Tim Mielants, the film is a harrowing leap into history (not even going too far back, being situated less than forty years in the past), carefully crafted in such a way to tell a difficult story with precision and wholehearted commitment to the material, which looks at some deeply disturbing subject matter in a way that is forthright, honest and intent on giving a voice to those who have been silenced by institutions far more powerful than anything we can fathom, and twice as insidious.

As time has progressed, we’ve seen more works based around the act of deconstructing seemingly sacred institutions. The Catholic Church has been at the forefront of this pattern, primarily because it has been arguably the dominant guiding force in Christianity for centuries, and plagued by scandals and challenges that have turned a large portion of the population against this supposed holy entity. Small Things Like These makes it clear that its intentions are not to tarnish the reputation of the church in its entirety – since it does allude to the efforts it takes to help those in need – but rather those who use their status within it as a way to exploit the very same people whose vulnerabilities they pledged to protect. This film is fashioned as a very traditional David and Goliath story, following a conflicted family man who stumbles into a sinister conspiracy that has been kept from the public, concealed behind an institution that claims that it intends to do good through spreading the gospel and uniting the community when in reality it has become just as corrupted as any other power-hungry institution. This takes a more challenging turn when we begin to see the extent to which the church within this particular community exploits those who they view as having sinned to the point of needing to atone for something that should not be cause for any kind of punishment, let alone a form of imprisonment with the threat of being publicly humiliated. Thematically, Small Things Like These is very rich and complex, but its also a profoundly difficult film – the subject matter is extremely difficult to watch at times, and Mielants does not shy away from looking at the multitudes of challenging themes embedded within the story, which Keegan wrote with such extraordinary precision and dedication to exposing the secrets of what she views as one of the great hidden injustices in Irish history, something that has not been widely discussed, but is just as shattering a revelation as any of the other darker moments in the nation’s storied history. Not necessarily against religion itself (which is still viewed as a positive force when utilized by those who have not been corrupted by power), but rather those within the Catholic Church that took advantage of their position, the film proves to be a daunting but essential work.

Small Things Like These features a reunion between Mielants and Cillian Murphy, who had previously collaborated when the director worked on Peaky Blinders, which many consider to be Murphy’s signature performance. However, this film represents quite a stark change of pace for both of them, since it may be similar in how it is about rebellion and those who are fearless enough to go against sacred social institutions, it is an entirely different set of themes that drive this story. Murphy is a remarkable actor, and the past couple of years have placed him even more in the limelight, as he has transitioned from a reliable and somewhat underrated character actor to someone whose versatility and chameleonic style of acting have allowed him to shift into any role with incredible effectiveness, something that becomes even more clear when we see the extent to which he is willing to go to bring his characters to life. His performance here is quite brilliant – it’s not driven by big moments or excess but rather takes advantage of Murphy’s incredible expressivity and ability to play a character that is both conflicted and steadfast in his beliefs. There is always an authenticity to the work he does that makes him one of our greatest living actors, and while it is decidedly subtle work, he is unquestionably excellent in the part, and once again proves that he can command the screen with incredible consistency. The rest of the cast is also solid, but the highlight of the supporting ensemble is Emily Watson, who portrays the Mother Superior who is the de facto leader of this community (a fact that everyone silently accepts), and who proves that her gentle, loving demeanour is a facade for something far more unsettling. Watson is chilling in the role, playing one of the most terrifying villains of the year – and she only has a handful of scenes, which proves that an actor doesn’t need to have an abundance of screen time to leave an impression, something that is made even more evident when we see just how effectively she uses her few minutes in the film. The film is very careful to not paint any of these characters as archetypes and instead focuses on authenticity above everything else, a wise decision that only makes Small Things Like These more incredibly compelling.

Walsh and Mielants were aware that they were working with a challenging subject and one that needed a very clear approach in order to prevent it from veering into either becoming overwhelmingly bleak or intensely flippant, and instead finding the right balance between the two as it voyages through this very difficult material. From the start, Small Things Like These is designed to be a relatively simple, unfurnished affair – spends roughly the first half establishing the characters and their surroundings, looking at the central protagonist and his family, and how they exist within their community, which is by all accounts an ordinary, conventional Irish village populated by hardworking individuals going about their daily lives. However, as the film progresses, the layers are gradually peeled away to reveal the more sinister roots that lie beneath, which is where the film has to ensure that it strikes the right tone, or else risk being viewed as either overt miserablism or insincerity, neither of which are the case here. This is a film about a single individual taking down a system that he never intended to encounter, but which he could not ignore once it entered his orbit, leading to him going up against arguably the most intimidating institution in the country, and one that has proven to be far more powerful than many of us may expect. The director makes good use of simple, evocative cues – a relatively subtle score and a bare-boned visual aesthetic support the social realist aspects of the film, and emphasize how this is unfortunately not likely to be an isolated occurrence, but rather a brief glimpse into a reality that many do not realize simmers beneath the surface of even the most seemingly pleasant of societies. It’s powerful, evocative filmmaking that feels genuine and lived-in, rather than being exploitative – and considering he has a prolific career in both film and television in which he showed his attention to detail and ability to extract the most compelling work from any material, Mielants proved to be a solid hand to guide this adaptation and make it something exceptionally special.

Small Things Like These is not an easy film as far as the subject matter goes – it is difficult, and uncomfortable and reveals secrets that many may have preferred to hide, especially since there is something deeply unsettling about how it presents a depiction of something as sacred as the Catholic Church, which has promoted itself as a force for charity and empathy, as being profoundly corrupted down to the core, not as a result of any religious belief but rather the power that comes with having so many people under your influence, to the point where there are high-ranking officials that get away with despicable crimes solely due to their status. It is a bleak, harrowing film that is filled with anger and despair, but also a sense of hope – telling the story through the eyes of an outsider who discovers this information and chooses to go against his instinct (especially when it is made very clear by the Mother Superior that revealing these secrets will lead to him facing severe consequences) and do what he believes to be right, even if he knows that it will likely impact him and his family’s image within the community of which they are proud members. Anchored by an extraordinary performance from the always exceptional Murphy, and a large supporting cast that is uniformly excellent, Small Things Like These is an exceptional social issues drama that reveals a darker side of society and the past, as well as shows that there is always some good embedded within these communities that can challenge the sinister forces that seek to exploit the weakest and most vulnerable. Profoundly moving even at its most disturbing, this film is an immense achievement, and a work of hard-hitting realism that sheds light on a major issue and proves that all it takes to bring about change is one person to defy the status quo, which is perhaps the single most powerful aspect of this incredible film.