News

Artists Equity – the independent artist-led studio founded by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gerry Cardinale – has signed an overall theatrical feature film agreement with Sony Pictures, the studio announced on Thursday.

Under the three-year agreement, Sony will distribute the theatrical films globally, which will be developed and produced by Artists Equity. Sony will finance the films and handle all ancillaries, with Artists Equity having the option to co-finance individual projects.

“Artists Equity, in the short span of its existence, has proven remarkably adept at developing and producing high quality commercial films,” Tom Rothman, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, said in a statement to TheWrap. “This is not a surprise to me as I have known the two creative ‘Pros from Dover’ for many years and always admired their smarts, talent and moxie. Now that Ben and Matt and their team have set their sights firmly on the...

Surf’s up for 20th Century Studios.

The Disney division has picked up the Hawaii-set crime thriller package that has Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt attached to star, and Martin Scorsese attached to direct.

Lei-ed with a script by journalist and author Nick Bilton, the fact-based untitled movie is said to be in the mold of Scorsese’s Goodfellas and The Departed and center on a mob boss vying for control of the Hawaiian islands in the 1960s and 1970s.

All the players will also be producers on the project: Scorsese is producing via his Sikelia Productions banner, Johnson via Seven Bucks Productions, DiCaprio via his Appian Way Productions, and Blunt through her Ledbury Productions company. Bilton is producing through his banner, True Story Productions, as well.

The project’s origins come from the ‘ohana-like bond between Blunt and Johnson. The concept and film idea originated from Blunt.

The Hulu April 2025 premiere schedule has been announced and can be viewed below. The streaming service has also revealed the titles that will leave next month.

The Hulu Originals for the month include FX’s Dying for Sex, Got to Get Out, The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, Jessica Kirson: I’m the Man, No Man’s Land Season 2, Vanderpump Villa Season 2, and more.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Highlights

A look at the originals, exclusives, and premieres that are part of the Hulu April 2025 lineup.

Oddity (2024 – Streaming April 1)

When Dani is brutally murdered at the remote country house she and her husband Ted are renovating, everyone suspects a patient from the local mental health institution, where Ted is a doctor. Soon after the tragic killing, the suspect – Olin Boole – is found dead at the halfway house, his head crushed beyond recognition. Only his glass eye remains intact…

A year later, Ted...

Catherine Clinch as Cáit in The Quiet Girl

The Quiet Girl , 12.10am, Channel 4, Tuesday, February 18

Anne-Katrin Titze writes: Colm Bairéad’s superb first feature, The Quiet Girl, shot by Kate McCullough (European Film Award winner), is based on Claire Keegan’s story, Foster. It tells the tale of Cait (magnificent newcomer Catherine Clinch), a young girl in the rural Ireland of about 40 years ago. She is sent off by her parents to distant relatives (Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett as the Cinnsealachs), virtual strangers to spend the summer while her mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh) gets ready to give birth to her sixth child in their already too crowded, filthy, poverty-stricken household. Cait’s surly father Dan (Michael Patric) one night tells his wife that “they can keep her as long as they like.” Cait overhears the conversation. Equivalent to Hansel and Gretel’s classic...

The Irish Film and Television Awards celebrated a diverse array of talent and storytelling at this year’s ceremony in Dublin. In the film category, Cillian Murphy was honored as Best Lead Actor for his performance in Small Things Like These, a role that has resonated with audiences and critics alike. The film, adapted from Claire Keegan’s novella, also captured the Best Film award, edging out stiff competition including the hip-hop comedy Kneecap.

Across the categories, Saoirse Ronan proved her versatility by winning Best Lead Actress for The Outrun and Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Blitz. In the international arena, Demi Moore received recognition for her work in The Substance, while Ralph Fiennes earned accolades in the international acting segment for his performance in Conclave. The Irish documentary feature, Conclave, also took home the Best International Film award, highlighting the global appeal of Irish storytelling.

The...

Tim Mielants’ Small Things Like These took home the top prize for best film while Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap collected the most prizes at the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs), held last night (February 14) in Dublin.

Cillian Murphy, who stars in and produces Small Things Like These, picked up best lead actor for the second year in a row following last year’s win for Oppenheimer. The Irish drama, which surrounds a local convent with shocking secrets, also won best screenplay for Edna Walsh who adapted Claire Keegan’s novel on which the film is based.

Kneecap won four...

Cillian Murphy has been named Best Lead Actor in the film category of the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for the second year running.

Following his win last year for Oppenheimer (which went on to bag him the Oscar), Murphy won for his role in the film Small Things Like These.

The film, an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella, also won Best Film.

Complete Winners List Below

An Irish-language film about Belfast rap group Kneecap was nominated in 17 award categories. The film’s director Rich Peppiatt won best director in the film category, and it was also recognised in casting and costume design.

At the ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, Friday evening, Saoirse Ronan was a double winner, taking home Best Lead Actress for The Outrun and Best Supporting Actress for The Blitz.

Ralph Fiennes and Demi Moore were winners in the international acting categories for Conclave and The Substance respectively.

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the scripts behind awards season’s most talked-about movies continues with Small Things Like These, Cillian Murphy’s first film after winning the Oscar for his starring role in Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer.

Enda Walsh, the Tony Award-winning Irish playwright and director, adapted the script for the film from Claire Keegan’s 2021 Booker Prize-nominated novel, which was selected as a final Oprah’s Book Club Pick in 2024. The book itself might seem short at 128 pages, but the story is rich within the context of the silent complicity of Ireland in the 1980s.

The film, directed by Tim Mielants, opened in the U.S. on November 8 after it world premiered earlier in the year as the opening-night film at the Berlin Film Festival. Emily Watson, who plays a formidable nun, won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Actress at the festival. Eileen Walsh,...

Small Things Like These is a 2024 drama film from Ireland that is set around the Christmas festivities, in a sense, although it is far from a cheery holiday film. Adapted from a 2021 novella of the same name by Claire Keegan, the film’s plot follows a coal merchant named Bill Furlong who makes a shocking discovery at the local convent when he goes there to fulfill a regular order. Made in a very straightforward and quiet style, with minimal dialogue, sound, and grandeur of any kind, Small Things Like These hits all the right chords nonetheless, driven by the brilliant acting performances and the narrative.

Spoiler Alert

What is the film about?

Small Things Like These begins with the tolling church bells announcing the start of a new day in a small Irish town. As the dark sky slowly lights up to reveal a gloomy and cloudy day, people gradually...

Cillian Murphy’s latest flick Small Things Like These is a risk well worth it to spend his Oscar capital on. The feature already has a higher Rotten Tomatoes rating than Oppenheimer and is garnering much praise from critics and fans alike. The feature is based on the best-selling novel by Claire Keegan, about Ireland's infamous Magdalene Laundries case. Now the feature will be available on PVOD for audiences to discover the film as well as for a rewatch.

Currently starring in Dune: Prophecy as the Mother Superior of the mysterious sisterhood that becomes the Bene Gesserit, Emily Watson earlier this year scooped the Silver Bear Best Supporting Performance award at the Berlin Film Festival for her role as a different sort of formidable Mother Superior in Irish drama Small Things Like These.

The Cillian Murphy-starrer is directed by Tim Mielants and based on Claire Keegan’s acclaimed eponymous novel which has been adapted by Enda Walsh. Watson plays Sister Mary, whose convent is concealing a Magdalene Laundry, businesses run jointly by the Church and the Irish state where unwed mothers were consigned to repent of their sins, do hard labor and ultimately deliver their babies for adoption.

Although Watson doesn’t have much screen time, her impact is spine-chilling. In her review for Deadline, Stephanie Bunbury wrote that Watson “brings an urgent sense of high stakes… she seems to vibrate with menace.

Oprah Winfrey has launched a new podcast series that includes conversations with Oprah’s Book Club authors.

The Oprah Podcast will feature weekly conversations between Winfrey and thought leaders, cultural icons and more, as well as one conversation per month with an author from Oprah’s Book Club, in partnership with Starbucks. The podcast will be available on Oprah’s YouTube channel, with the audio versions available on all platforms.

Episodes will be released each Tuesday, kicking off on Dec. 3 with a conversation with Oprah’s Book Club author Claire Keegan on her book Small Things Like These. Each author interview will be filmed in Starbucks cafes, with the first conversation taking place at the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store in New York City and each book will also have an official Starbucks beverage pairing.

“Connecting with people about what matters to us in this moment, so we can...

Cillian Murphy, an Academy Award-winning actor, brings a powerful story of moral awakening to the screen in “Small Things Like These,” a historical drama confronting one of Ireland’s most traumatic institutional legacies. Based on Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel, the film goes into the contentious Magdalene laundries of 1985, presenting a nuanced analysis of individual conscience during a challenging moment in Irish history.

Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a coal dealer in New Ross, Ireland, who becomes increasingly aware of the dark truths about a local convent-run institution. Subtle, repressed emotion characterizes the actor’s performance, which he regards as purposeful. “A lot of acting is about withholding,” Murphy says. “It’s about leaving space for the audience to interpret emotions nonverbally.”

The film is particularly relevant to Ireland’s complex socioeconomic history. Catholic orders ran the Magdalene laundries, which sheltered “fallen” women until 1996. Murphy, who was around 9 years old when the film was set,...

After Small Things Like These, the movie to watch is a similar drama from 2002, to learn more about life in Ireland during the 20th century. Small Things Like These is adapted from the 2021 novel by Claire Keegan and depicts the daily life of coal merchant Bill Furlong, who grows suspicious about the work of his town's Magdalene laundry and struggles with deciding whether to remain silent or retaliate. The movie stars Cillian Murphy, who also served as a producer on his first movie since his Oscar-winning performance in Oppenheimer.

Small Things Like These has received highly positive reviews and has been described as a harrowing and somber depiction of the power of the Catholic Church in Ireland during the 1980s. It shows how people in Ireland were bribed and blackmailed to remain quiet about what happened behind closed doors. Another acclaimed drama, The Magdalene Sisters, also reveals what happened behind...

After the success of Cillian Murphy's 2024 movie, Small Things Like These, the Irish actor has maintained his incredible Rotten Tomatoes streak, and thus, has raised the bar for his upcoming franchise returns. Murphy has been in the acting business for a long time, getting his breakout in 2001's Disco Pigs. However, in recent years, Murphy has been recognized for his incredible work on projects like Peaky Blinders and Christopher Nolan's box office record breaker, Oppenheimer. Now, Murphy is continuing his streak of success, and setting high expectations, with his most recent release.

Small Things Like These is a historical drama movie based on a book of the same name by Claire Keegan. The movie stars Murphy as Bill Furlong, a respected coal merchant who enters a conflict with the powerful nuns in his small town as he discovers a young pregnant woman being kept in a coal shed.

The Cillian Murphy-Led Historical Drama Small Things Like These. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

So, who’s been counting down the days for Small Things Like These? Cillian Murphy’s latest flick is finally here, and trust me, it’s worth the hype. Based on Claire Keegan’s novel, this movie will hit you right in the feels with its blend of hope, quiet heroism, and raw emotion. It dropped in theaters on November 1, just in time for the weekend—perfect for your movie plans.

In this one, Cillian plays Bill Furlong, who stumbles on some dark secrets while delivering coal to a local convent. He finds a terrified girl named Sarah locked away, begging for help. It turns out that her story is eerily similar to Bill’s past. Her name even matches his mom’s—talk about creepy. As Bill digs deeper, trying to figure out what’s happening,...

Fresh from his Oscar success, Cillian Murphy returns to the big screen in the quiet but powerful role of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant who must follow his conscience in Tim Mielants’ “Small Things Like These.” Based on the book by Claire Keegan, the plot focuses on the infamous Magdalene Laundries in Ireland where

The post Inside the Making of “Small Things Like These” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.

The following article contains spoilers for Small Things Like These.

The ending for Small Things Like These is both heartwarming and harrowing. Adapted from the historical fiction novel by Claire Keegan, Cillian Murphy's new movie places him in the role of coal miner Bill Furlong, a quiet, soft-spoken insomniac with a wife and five daughters. Offering one of Cillian Murphy's best performances, Small Things Like These sees his character's life take a turn when he comes across a Magdalene laundry facility hidden with a convent that abuses girls and embarks on a plan to provide help.

Bill becomes embroiled in the dilemma of a girl named Sarah and tries to protect her from the corrupt Mother Mary. She subtly threatens and bribes Bill to keep quiet about everything he's seen. Word spreads around town about Bill's interaction with Mother Mary, and characters in Small Things Like These advise Bill to stay silent.

Perhaps it’s appropriate that a story about a coal man should be an extremely slow burn, but there isn’t much warmth for the beleaguered protagonist of this wintry drama. Typically, Cillian Murphy has used his newfound Oscar-winner clout to go back to Ireland and work again with his Disco Pigs collaborator Enda Walsh on an adaptation of a sparely worded novel by Claire Keegan. The result is remarkably powerful, even if it’s understated to the point of wordlessness.

Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a father of five daughters with a kindly heart but taciturn demeanour. He has secrets in his past that make him, perhaps, unusually sympathetic to the girls brought into the local convent because they are “in trouble”, as it was euphemistically called, but every personal and social pressure counsels him against speaking out, lest the powerful church turn against his business, his family and himself.

After his Oscar-winning, pitch-perfect role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, people have been eagerly awaiting Cillian Murphy’s next role. Instead of taking on something big to follow up the near $1 billion grossing, Best Picture winner, Murphy has instead chosen to go smaller – much, much smaller in Small Things Like These. This film tells an appropriately small, intimate story that works mostly as a showcase for Murphy’s acting ability, which is just as sharp as before.

Small Things Like These Review

Small Things is a co-production of Artists Equity, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, and Big Things FIlms, Cillian Murphy’s brand new company. Serving as the first project of which Murphy has produced, this film has a particularly special feeling to it.

An adaptation of Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel, this follows Bill Furlong (Murphy), a coal merchant living in a small Irish town in the mid-80s.

Exclusive: We’ve seen efforts to share risk and upside in success, and many times they come and go. Artists Equity, hatched by pals Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and backed by a long-term financial commitment from RedBird Capital billionaire Gerry Cardinale, has a real chance to reshape the tenuous pay landscape in a talent-friendly way. Since Deadline first broke their plans, Affleck and Damon have used their personal relationships and the hard-knock lessons from over 30 years of their Oscar careers to create a sound equity participation formula for those involved in their projects. It’s a formula they believe provides more transparency in profit sharing than is available from the studios and streamers that will release the films Artists Equity bankrolls.

Housed in Los Angeles offices with a staff that has swelled past 70 employees working on film, TV, a full-scale ad agency and a lean-in on documentaries, Artists Equity is growing quickly.

This review was originally published on October 22, 2024, as a part of our Middleburg Film Festival coverage.

Based on the novel by Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These is a quietly profound and meaningful film that shows us the story as it unfolds rather than tells it. Through well-placed flashbacks and a kind-hearted protagonist in Cillian Murphys Bill Furlong, director Tim Mielants film is not only a loyal movie adaptation thanks to Enda Walshs lovely script but a poignant story about the way the threat of powerful institutions keeps people from saying or doing anything to help out of fear. Mielants film does a lot with little dialogue, setting the stage for something rich and thought-provoking.

Small Things Like These

Director Tim MielantsRelease Date November 8, 2024Writers Claire Keegan, Enda WalshCast Faye Brazil, Sarah Morris, Louis Kirwan, Liadan Dunlea, Aoife Gaffney, Zara Devlin, Aidan O'Hare, Cillian O'Gairbhi, Tom Leavey, Joanne Crawford, Clare Dunne,...

Box office darling Anora, Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner from Neon, goes wide Friday after a slow platform, expanding to 1,104 screens as indies continue to bust onto screens. Searchlight Pictures’ A Real Pain adds eight locations, with Focus Features’ Conclave and A24’s Heretic continuing, and launching, respectively, in wide release.

A Real Pain starring Kieren Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed, adds theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto after a strong opening last weekend, when it took the third-highest per-theater average of the year. It goes to 900+ theaters across all major markets next week.

Opening in moderate release: Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate’s launch of Artist Equity’s Small Things Like These starring Cillian Murphy at 795 theaters.

Directed by Tim Mielants and written by Enda Walsh, the film is based on the bestselling book of same name by Claire Keegan. It...

Small Things Like These (2024) is a film that is intended to disturb, but not because of what it shows. Tim Mielants’ latest historical drama is not the first film about the infamous Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, as it was a major subject in Peter Mullan’s underrated drama “The Magdalene Sisters” and the Oscar-nominated Judi Dench vehicle “Philomena.” However, “Small Things Like These” avoids being derivative by presenting its exploration of the controversy as a mystery of sorts. The sad fact is that the abuse and enslavement of thousands of young women in Ireland is still a relatively unknown moment in history, and one that has certainly been forgotten when compared to other religious controversies.

“Small Things Like These” is perhaps more ambitious in the fact that it doesn’t attempt to summarize the extent of this generational abuse into a broadly accessible tragedy. It is a rather straightforward drama...

Spoilers Alert: This article contains potential spoilers for Small Things Like These.

Warning: This article contains references to historical violence and abuse.

Small Things Like These paints a fascinating picture of life in Ireland throughout the 20th century. Adapted from the 2021 novel by Claire Keegan, the movie looks into the life of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant living in Wexford, Ireland working hard to provide for his wife and children. In the run-up to Christmas, 1985, he grows suspicious of the town's local convent and strives to uncover the secrets of the Magdalene laundry run by the convent's nuns.

The cast of Small Things Like These is led by Irish actor, Cillian Murphy, in his first film since his Academy Award-winning performance in Oppenheimer. Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, Small Things Like These has received a high critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been considered an excellent follow-up movie...

Borat star Maria Bakalova will board a bus with Peter Mullan for the single-location thriller, No Way Off.

Veteran Scottish actor Peter Mullan is set to lead single location thriller No Way Off for Altitude, starring opposite Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm’s standout performer, Maria Bakalova.

Downton Abbey director Brian Kelly will make the film, based on a screenplay by Gaby Hill, who recently wrote crime thriller series We Hunt Together. Matthew James Wilkinson will produce for his Stigma Films banner.

The premise sounds, quite frankly, amazing: a single mother and her baby son find themselves trapped on a moving bus drvien by a mask-wearing maniac. Also, it’s set at Christmas.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Inspired by single-location thrillers such as The Shallows, Buried and Crawl, No Way Off is set on Christmas Eve and revolves around Laura, a young mother who waits at a bus stop with her infant son.

The new Cillian Murphy-starrer, Small Things Like These, is as Irish as a film can get. It is based on the novel by Claire Keegan, it follows a sleepy Irish town in the mid-1980s, and it deals with the very real and very horrifying crimes committed by the Catholic Church. So, you might find it odd that the man helming the entire picture is Belgian director Tim Mierlants. However, Irish or not, Mierlants was undoubtedly the right person for the job. You can see it in the final cut of the film, and you can hear it in the way he passionately talks about the project.

Small Things Like These is a movie adapted from Irish author Claire Keegan's novel of the same title. The film will star Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who is coming off the heels of his Academy Award-winning performance in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. The movie is directed by Belgian director Tim Mielants, which seems to be a perfect follow-up after Oppenheimer for Murphy. The film debuted in February at the Berlin Film Festival and gained a high Rotten Tomatoes score.

The story of Small Things Like These takes place in 1985 in Wexford, Ireland, around Christmas time. The film focuses on "Magdalene laundries" or asylums in Ireland, usually run by the Catholic Church. These laundries originally housed former sex workers but later also became a place for women who were the victims of rape. Sometimes, the women housed were social outcasts, abuse victims, and orphans. The women housed in these laundries became known as "fallen women.

All the Small Things: Mielants Mines the Evils of Complicity

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The oft cited quote from Edmund Burke is the ultimate essence of Small Things Like These, the latest from Belgian director Tim Mielants. Adapted from the 2021 novella by Claire Keegan (who also wrote The Quiet Girl), it’s a subtle exploration of the infamous Magdalene Laundries, torturous institutions run by the Roman Catholic Church intended to house ‘fallen women.’ While many films have explored the dreadful details of this culturally sanctioned terror, Mielants expounds upon Keegan’s prose to highlight the communal complicity which allowed this institutionalization to prosper.…...

[Editor’s Note: This interview contains some spoilers for “Small Things Like These.”]

“I didn’t want to play him like a hero. I think he’s actually having a nervous breakdown.”

Coming from Cillian Murphy, it would be fair to think he was talking about his Oscar-winning turn as the father of the atom bomb in last year’s Best Picture recipient, “Oppenheimer,” which wove back and forth through time as the scientist copes with the fallout of his monstrous creation. Instead, Murphy was talking about a character that hits a little closer to home for him, albeit in ways that may, surprisingly, draw comparison with his previous performance.

Set in Murphy’s native Ireland, in the small town of New Ross circa Christmas 1985, “Small Things Like These” revolves around Bill Furlong (Murphy), a coal distributor, husband, father of five daughters, and well-respected community member. Until Bill makes a discovery at the local convent that unearths deeply buried...

Cillian Murphy follows his Academy Award-winning lead turn in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer with an aptly named film a fraction of that size. Director Tim Mielants’ adaptation of Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel Small Things Like These stars Murphy as not a man who became Death, destroyer of worlds, but as...

Director Tim Mielants's new movie is being met with critical acclaim thus far, but theatrical and streaming viewing options for Small Things Like These remain scarce. Based on a novel by Claire Keegan, this historical drama shows a coal merchant discovering dark secrets kept by a convent in the town of New Ross, Ireland, around Christmas 1985. The release of this Cillian Murphy movie will show the actor returning to the big screen alongside actors Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Emily Watson, Clare Dunne, Helen Behan, Liadn Dunlea, Agnes O'Casey, Mark McKenna, and Zara Devlin. This film's release comes after Murphy's Academy Award-winning performance in Christopher Nolan's historical epic Oppenheimer.

Though Tim Mielants is a relatively unknown director in the United States, his new movie won over distributor Lionsgate and audiences at the Berlin International Film Festival, scoring a whopping 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. So far, reviews for Small Things Like These...

Following his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy returns to cinemas in this powerful new drama. Today we’re fortunate to present these cast interviews for Small Things Like These. Directed by Tim Mielants, the cast includes Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Clare Dunne, Helen Behan, Emily Watson.

Hayley Donaghy asks the questions.

The film hits UK and Irish cinemas on November 1st.

Plot:

Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as devoted father Bill Furlong in this film based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. While working as a coal merchant to support his family, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

The post Small Things Like These Interviews: Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh & more on their...

Fresh off his Oscar-winning turn in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy is back with yet another daring performance in a much lower-profile film, but don't let its small-scale nature deceive you. With the backing of Artists' Equity (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company), Small Things Like These supplies Murphy with one of his best performances to date conveniently timed close to Nolan's WWII masterpiece, of course.

In his Oscar-nominated film from 1995, Spike Lee's character is told by a fellow Big Apple resident to "do the right thing" hence the name of Lee's groundbreaking feature. In Small Things Like These, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan, Murphy's heroic protagonist Ben Furlong is determined to achieve a similar goal in his small Irish town run by the Catholic Church, which may or may not be knee-deep in corrupt operations. If you're worried...

Small Things Like These, starring and produced by Cillian Murphy, opens today in the UK and Ireland before bowing November 8 in the U.S. The Tim Mielants-directed drama opened the Berlin Film Festival in February to great acclaim, with Emily Watson’s turn as a formidable nun scooping the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Actress.

In the 1985-set film, Murphy stars as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and devoted father who discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

This is the first feature production from Murphy and his recently minted Big Things Films banner, which he runs alongside partner Alan Moloney. It’s a film close to the Oscar winner’s heart with the source material being a best-selling novel by Claire Keegan...

Cillian Murphy is many things. Oppenheimer, Tommy Shelby, Scarecrow, Fischer, and many more. However, the actor is also a gentleman who is moved by the things he sees and reads.

Matt Damon and Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer | Credits: Universal Pictures

So naturally, Murphy talked about how he was overcome when he went on to read one iconic short story from a renowned author. The actor couldn’t hold it together while on a train after he read the amazing novel by Claire Keegan.

Cillian Murphy Was Moved By Claire Keegan’s Novel

After winning an Oscar award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Oppenheimer, Murphy has not stopped working. And from the new Peaky Blinders film to Small Things Like These, Murphy does not plan to stop anytime soon either.

Cillian Murphy’s film Small Things Like These | Credits: Big Things Films

His 2024 flick is...

“It was like this weird cognitive dissonance in Ireland, where we kind of knew this stuff was going on, but we didn’t know what was going on,” says Oscar-winning “Small Things Like These” star and producer Cillian Murphy about growing up in the country while the Magdalene laundries were in operation. “It was sanctioned by the government, but it was quietly disappeared.” Watch our complete video interview with Murphy above.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Claire Keegan, “Small Things Like These” tells the story of Bill Furlong (Murphy), a coal merchant who discovers the cruel treatment of young women at a local convent in the town of New Ross in County Wexford. It was one of the Magdalene laundries where for more than 200 years young “fallen women” were abused and forced to labor for the Catholic Church. “They only closed in 1996, which is kind of staggering,...

A coalman struggles to ignore the rotten heart of his idyllic community in a powerfully understated drama. Here’s our Small Things Like These review.

Cillian Murphy might not be the first actor you’d think of to play a coalman. But then, Bill Furlong isn’t quite what you’d expect from a coalman, either.

Shy, awkward, and the master of a comfortable silence, he doesn’t even greet his family with a “hello” when he walks in the door; he simply cleans the coal dust from his face, sits down with his tea, and helps his four daughters with their geography homework. There’s a gentleness to him, a charitability that rears its head when he meets the son of a local alcoholic on the road home or puts money behind the bar for his employees’ Christmas drinks.

Still, when he sees a young woman dragged, screaming into...

Thanksgiving may promise a bounty on the dinner table, but the multiplex still looks bare. Continuing this year's theme, our November film preview features another relatively light month at the movies. Still, it’s quality over quantity, and if you ignore Red One, the $250 million attempt at turning Christmas lore into a Marvel movie,...

As we slowly inch closer to 2025, more and more movies are being released, some after lengthy delays, while others entertain audiences right on schedule. Despite the increasing number of movies available on various streaming services, many viewers prefer to watch them in the theater on the big screen.

As a result, every month, audiences have a plethora of new, exciting films to look forward to, ranging from horror to historical epics. In October 2024, several fantastic films were released, such as Terrifier 3 and Smile 2, as well as disappointing films like Joker: Folie Deux. Similarly, we have numerous additional movies lined up for theaters the following month across all genres. With that in mind, these are the movies you can look forward to watching in theaters in November 2024.

Absolution Watch It in Theaters on November 1

Initially titled Thug, Absolution is an upcoming crime thriller film directed by Hans Peter Moland...

Cillian Murphy is getting back on the red carpet more than six months after he won his first Oscar!

On Thursday (October 24), the 48-year-old Oppenheimer star attended the U.K. premiere of his new movie Small Things Like These at the The Curzon Mayfair in London, England.

He was dressed casually for the event, wearing a tan suede blazer with an olive V-neck and dark pants.

Keep reading to find out more…

Cillian was joined at the event by costars Emily Watson and Eileen Walsh. We’ve got photos of them in the gallery.

This marks Cillian‘s first big event since he picked up the Best Actor win at the Oscars back in March.

If you were curious about the movie, we have an official synopsis: “Oscar® winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as devoted father Bill Furlong in this film based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan.

Exclusive: Barbara Broccoli, with her theater hat on, is transferring the Sing Street musical to London. The play is based on John Carney’s charming 2016 coming-of-age movie about a group of skint schoolkids in 1982 Dublin who form a rock band to help them find love and forget their troubles.

The show, from the team behind Once, is another musical adapted from a film created by Carney.

Once, with James Bond producer Broccoli as lead producer, went on to win eight trophies at the 66th Tony Awards, including Best Musical and a Best Book win for playwright-screenwriter Enda Walsh, who performs the same writing duties on Sing Street.

Walsh confirmed that the Sing Street musical will preview at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, West London beginning July 8 for a limited run until August 23.

The show is billed as A Lyric Hammersmith Theatre Theatre Production but it’s being led by Broccoli, as...

Cillian Murphy said he was pretty broken after Oppenheimer, so the actor took a break for over six months before his next role in the new film Small Things Like These. Just physically and mentally, I was a bit worn out, the actor told Vanity Fair. We shot that film so fast and the prep for it had been very intense, he said of his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the 2023 Christopher Nolan film that won him a Best Actor Oscar.

Losing all that weight was hard to do - and it was hard to get back to normal, the Irish actor said. Small Things Like These, which is set to be released Nov. 8, was his first time on set since Oppenheimer. The role didn't require drastic weight loss, but came with another challenge for the actor.

It does exact a bit of a cost, Murphy added about his first post-Oppenheimer role,...

It's been over a year since Oppenheimer was released in theaters, and Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy's next movie, Small Things Like These, is the perfect follow-up. Cillian Murphy has been active in the film industry for nearly three decades, but he's never been in the spotlight as prominently as he was in 2023 after playing the titular role in the Oppenheimer cast. For playing historic physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy took home a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, and received immense acclaim for starring in his first almost-$1 billion-grossing movie.

Murphy has received consistent praise throughout his career, most widely recognized for his supporting roles in Christopher Nolan's movies, like Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy, and supporting characters in Inception and Dunkirk. He also led the cast of the critically acclaimed crime drama TV series Peaky Blinders for all six seasons and will be following up on the...

Coming hot off the heels of his Oscar win for Best Actor for Christopher Nolan's biographical epic, Oppenheimer, star Cillian Murphy has his next major leading role lined up. Murphy stars in director Tim Mielants' Small Things Like These, an adaptation of author Claire Keegan's novel of the same name. Keegan's novel received wide acclaim, winning the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and becoming an international bestseller, so it was only a matter of time before this emotionally affecting and timely story got the big screen treatment.

Cillian Murphy‘s new movie Small Things Like These is debuting later this year and the trailer just dropped.

The 48-year-old actor’s upcoming film is based on the book of the same name by Claire Keegan, and it marks the first of his movies to be released following his Oscar win earlier this year for his role in Oppenheimer.

Keep reading to find out more…

Here’s a synopsis: Oscar® winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as devoted father Bill Furlong in this film based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. While working as a coal merchant to support his family, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

Also starring are Emily Watson, Eileen Walsh,...

Lionsgate has released the official trailer for Small Things Like These starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy and two-time Oscar nominee Emily Watson. The film is based on Claire Keegan’s critically acclaimed book, which she dedicated to those who suffered time in Ireland’s mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries. Currently, the drama sits at 83% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes following festival screenings.

“While working as a coal merchant to support his family, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church,” reads Lionsgate’s synopsis.

Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Clare Dunne, and Helen Behan also star. Enda Walsh adapted Keegan’s book and Tim Mielants (Wil) directed. Murphy, Alan Moloney, Catherine Magee, Matt Damon, and Drew Vinton serve as producers. Executive producers include Ben Affleck,...

Ever since Cillian Murphy's richly deserved Oscar win for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's atomic epic Oppenheimer, we've been eager to see what the Douglas born actor has up his sleeve next. But whilst Murphy most recently lent his voice to animated offering Kensuke's Kingdom, and will soon be seen in Steven Knight's soon-shooting Peaky Blinders movie, his next on-screen appearance is set to come in Small Things Like These, Tim Mielants' upcoming adaptation of Claire Keegan's best-selling novel about Catholic corruption in small-town Ireland. In the movie, Murphy — given a rare opportunity to work in his natural Irish brogue — plays Bill Furlong, a father whose repressed trauma surfaces when he discovers disturbing secrets being kept by his local convent. And you can check out the first trailer for the drama below:

Inspired by the real history of the Magdalene Laundries, a...

Lionsgate has announced details for the US release of the new film “Small Things Like These.” The drama, set in 1980s Ireland, tells the story of a coal merchant who uncovers secrets kept by the local convent. It is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Irish author Claire Keegan.

The movie will open in US theaters on November 8. It will first debut in the UK and Ireland on November 1. Lionsgate acquired distribution rights for North America, the UK, and Ireland after “Small Things Like These” premiered to critical acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.

Starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, the film follows Bill Furlong, a devoted father, as Christmas nears in 1985 Ireland. Furlong discovers disturbing truths kept by the convent in his small town. He is then forced to face the silence of his community about these secrets, as well as confronting parts of his own past.

Cillian Murphy skyrocketed to fame due to his role as Tommy Shelby in the BBC period drama show, Peaky Blinders. After the TV series he participated in several projects, but it was the 2023 movie that cemented his name in Hollywood.

Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s genius helped establish the actor’s name in the industry and worldwide. Murphy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this critically acclaimed film. After a year since his Oscar-winning film’s release, the actor is back onscreen with another project. The first appearance of his new movie, Small Things Like These just got released, launching a wave of excitement among fans.

A new look and a new story: Oscar winner’s newest venture Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer | Credit: Universal Pictures.

Cillian Murphy won his first-ever Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Oppenheimer. The Christopher Nolan directorial movie along with his BBC hit show,...