Cillian Murphy’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning performance in Oppenheimer is Small Things Like These, a small, mellow and quiet Irish drama whose style is distinctly different to the electric and musical pace of Christopher Nolan’s biopic. An adaptation of Claire Keegan’s short book, the film is set in a small Irish mining town and follows Murphy’s Bill a miner who delivers to the community to support his family with five daughters in a small, terraced house.
The film is about the small things that occur in this close-knit Irish community, the things that are often turned a blind eye to. Stylistically this feels very much like a British kitchen sink drama directed by the likes of Ken Loach, but without the bubbling anger that is found in the subgenre. This is more subdued and mumbling in its approach to showing the influence of the church within this rural, catholic community. From the opening scenes, where church bells summon the action, this is clearly a show don’t tell approach, although there aren’t many visual cues, it is more that you have to inquire and question everything that is happening on the screen. The bells show the power of the church, being the first thing we see it suggests it is the most important thing for the community, commanding our attention. As the film follows Bill, we see how things don’t quite look right to him, such as a girl getting pushed into the church by a nun, or in another scene, a group of teenage girls have an uncomfortable interaction with some men, especially having five daughters of his own. It is a film that asks when we should interfere.
For the most part, the film is purposefully slow. It is about these small moments you only notice through intense observation, in a piece that only succeeds due to the performance of Cillian Murphy, whose performance is silent, introverted and brooding, yet it is easy to see everything that is going through his mind. The film also does well at creating a moodiness, there is a grey dissatisfaction, the mountains feel claustrophobic, with the soundscape of the rumbling cars adding a gravelly but content darkness. However, at times there is little to no development, it feels aimless due to there being no roadmap as to where the film is happening. The first plot point occurs 40 minutes into the 90-minute film, so it requires intense patience and faith in the film, something I was slowly losing at times.
The film is understated stylistically but maintains a strong aesthetic. It often uses static shots with frames inside the frame to guide the eye, or sweeping pan shots, giving it a unique look compared to the constant cutting medium shots of studio cinema. Here the camera is a vacant gazer, rarely cutting, the audience is forced to inhale the frame in what is a realist piece, a slice-of-life, film at its most authentic. Nevertheless, the director, Tim Mielants has moments of brilliant imagery. One that has remained pertinent is a scene where Bill is washing his hands, cleansing the coal of his hands but also cleansing himself of something he has just seen, trying to wash away the tarnished image from his mind.
Cillian Murphy’s central performance is also understated as soft-hearted Bill. It is an uncomfortable performance of someone who struggles to speak his mind and blend into society. In one scene at a village concert, Mielants doesn’t point out Murphy instead we have to scan the frame like it's Where’s Wally to spot the camouflaged Bill. Yet, these scenes of quiet discontent compel Bill to speak out, despite not being a strong-minded individual of the community. This is not your stereotypical protagonist of action but rather a passive one whose thoughts paint a picture on his face.
Small Things Like These also has a terrific atmosphere. Set in the lead-up to Christmas, there is a quiet sense of festivity. But it is also a cold and frosty affair, this isn’t filled with Christmas cheer, instead, there are scenes of children getting a hot water bottle from Father Christmas, rather than bright frivolity. It is full of scenes of community and camaraderie, miners getting school dinner-like meals at pubs, or giving children small change for pocket money, it is a beautiful slice of life. However, the film is nevertheless slow, sometimes painfully slow with little structure. There isn’t really a defining moment and it is particularly challenging watch, not in terms of content but in terms of style and lack of narrative. Yet towards the end, there is a scene where Bill is walking home and you suddenly realise where he is, and how far he has left to go. There is a terrific sense of place that slowly creeps up on you.
On the whole, Small Things Like These is a challenging watch due to its purposefully slow pace and understated style – perhaps a bit too much so for my liking. However, underneath is a compelling tale of a man questioning the norms of a close-knit religious village with a strong Cillian Murphy making the journey that much more effective.
Σχόλια