18/01/2024 - The Irish-Belgian co-production, taking part in the main competition, stars Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley and Emily Watson in the leading roles

The 74th Berlinale, unspooling in the German capital from 15-25 February, will open with the world premiere of Tim Mielants’ Small Things Like These. The title, taking part in the festival’s main competition, stars Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley and Emily Watson in the leading roles.

The Irish-Belgian co-production was penned by Enda Walsh and is based on the book of the same name by Claire Keegan (the writer of Foster, adapted into the Academy Award-nominated feature The Quiet Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Colm Bairéad
film profile]). 

Small Things Like These reunites Mielants (Wil [+see also:
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trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Tim Mi…
interview: Tim Mielants
film profile], The Responder) with Murphy, as they previously worked together on the third season of the series Peaky Blinders.

The story takes place over Christmas in 1985, when devoted father and coal merchant Bill Furlong (Murphy) discovers startling secrets kept by the convent in his town, along with some shocking truths of his own. The film reveals the reality of Ireland's Magdalen laundries – horrific asylums run by Roman Catholic institutions from the 1820s until 1996, ostensibly to reform “fallen young women”.

“With Small Things Like These, Tim Mielants tells the story of a man of few words, with wide-open eyes, as clear as the skies of Ireland. In The Quiet Girl, we already got a sense of Claire Keegan’s skill in portraying small, apparently simple characters and making them unforgettable; here, her delicate, rich yet down-to-earth writing finds a great interpreter in Cillian Murphy. We are confident that this story, which unites kindness towards the most fragile and the willpower to stand up against injustice, will resonate with everyone. We are looking forward to launching this ‘quiet’ yet quite exceptional film at the start of Zeitgeist Irland 24, a year-long celebration of Irish culture in Germany,” commented Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian.

Small Things Like These was produced by Murphy and Alan Moloney for Big Things Films, along with Catherine Magee. Matt Damon and Drew Vinton also produced the picture, alongside executive producers Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran and Michael Joe for Artists Equity. Artists Equity financed the project with Screen Ireland. The Belgian co-producer is Antwerp-based Wilder Content.

FilmNation Entertainment is handling its international sales.