Cillian Murphy’s New Film Depicts a ‘Complex Tale’ of a Transformed Ireland

Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy has stated that his latest film, Small Things Like These, portrays an Ireland that was “a different country.” The movie is based on Claire Keegan’s 2021 Booker-shortlisted narrative and recounts the story of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant from Wexford, who discovers a terrible situation at the local Magdalene Laundry. These laundries were institutions where women and girls who became pregnant outside marriage were sent by their families, welfare authorities, the courts, police, clergymen, and church organisations. Murphy, who received the Best Actor Oscar for his leading performance in Oppenheimer, plays the character of Furlong in the drama, which is set in 1985. His character, a father of five daughters, encounters a girl who is confined within a convent, and the plot unfolds from there. “It is a very seemingly simple story but it is an incredibly complex tale,” he shared during an interview on the Vinny & Cate show on BBC Radio Ulster. He elaborated on the historical context, stating, “If you think about Ireland then, the Kerry babies were in ’84, the moving statues was in ’85, there was no abortion and no divorce and maybe not even contraception so it was a completely different landscape.” He further explained the film’s aesthetic choice: “We are deliberately kind of pushing that so it feels like it could be in the ’50s or the ’60s and it’s only when you drop in Come on Eileen or something and you realise we’re actually in 1985.” Murphy expressed his surprise that the film was being referred to as “historical,” but added: “It shows you how this country has changed since then and these laundries were in operation until 1996, which is kind of hard to fathom.” He highlighted that at least 10,500 women spent time in a mother-and-baby home from 1922 until that point. The final institution of this kind in Northern Ireland ceased operations only in 1990. Eileen Walsh, Murphy’s co-star, conveyed her hope that the film would initiate conversations. She remarked, “There is so much subtext within it, I think three people can watch the film and have three different opinions as to how it ends, or who has their empathy at whatever point.” She further elaborated, “The film finishes just when the drama is about to begin, so everybody I think will come out with a different version of what the beginning of the next drama is.” The complete interview with Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, and Emily Watson is available for listening on BBC Sounds. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.