Cillian Murphy’s ‘Small Things Like These’ Hits Netflix UK Top 10 with 94% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Key facts

• Small Things Like These is based on Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel about Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.
• The film holds a 94% approval rating from 124 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
• It ranks #6 in Netflix UK’s film chart as of this week.
• Cillian Murphy stars as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in 1980s New Ross.
• Tim Mielants directed the film from a screenplay by Enda Walsh.
• Approximately 30,000 women were forced into unpaid labour in Magdalene Laundries.
• The film has an average score of 6.7/10 on IMDb.

A Quiet Arrival With Loud Resonance

Small Things Like These, the Irish drama starring Cillian Murphy, has entered Netflix UK’s top ten film chart at number six, landing amid a wave of critical praise and measured audience response. The film, adapted from Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel, tackles the dark legacy of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries — Roman Catholic institutions that subjected some 30,000 women to forced, unpaid labour. Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a coal merchant living in 1980s New Ross who stumbles upon the abuse at his local convent and risks his family’s safety to aid the women trapped there. The role marks another dramatic turn for the actor, fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in Oppenheimer.

Critical Acclaim vs. Audience Ambivalence

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film boasts a near-perfect 94% approval rating from 124 critic reviews. Time Out praised Murphy’s “profound performance,” while Empire Magazine called the film “a deliberate film that uses small moments to examine one of the great questions of our time: how good people let bad things happen, and how we might push back against the dark.” Digital Spy’s review highlighted its “subtle, show-not-tell storytelling” and noted that “the abrupt ending offers some – perhaps uncertain – hope for the future.” Audiences, however, have been less enthusiastic. The film’s IMDb score sits at 6.7/10, with some viewers citing its slow pace. One user described it as “absorbing” despite the abrupt conclusion, while another called it “an important watch” with “beautiful performances.” A third wrote: “It’s not the most entertaining movie in the world, but it isn’t supposed to be and its creeping power can’t quite be denied.”

Behind the Scenes: Mielants and Walsh

The film is directed by Tim Mielants, known for his work on Peaky Blinders, from a screenplay by Enda Walsh, the Irish playwright who previously collaborated with Murphy on the stage. Their adaptation of Keegan’s spare, powerful novel translates the book’s quiet horror into a visual language that relies on implication rather than explicit depiction. Murphy’s performance anchors the film, embodying a man torn between moral duty and the fear of reprisal. The actor has long championed Irish stories, and Small Things Like These continues that commitment, shedding light on a national trauma that remained largely unspoken for decades.

The Magdalene Laundries: A Painful History

The Magdalene Laundries operated in Ireland from the 18th century until the last institution closed in 1996. Run by the Roman Catholic Church, they confined women deemed “fallen” — unmarried mothers, troubled teenagers, or abuse victims — forcing them into unpaid labour under harsh conditions. The scale of the abuse was revealed through survivor testimonies and official inquiries, leading to public apologies and compensation schemes. Keegan’s novel, and now the film, focuses on the complicity of ordinary people who knew but did not act. Furlong’s decision to intervene, however small, becomes a moral counterweight to the silence that allowed the laundries to persist.

Streaming Success and Cultural Impact

Small Things Like These currently sits at number six in Netflix UK’s film chart, behind titles like Apex, Hypnotic, and Unwelcome. Its presence on the platform introduces the story to a global audience, many of whom may be unfamiliar with the Magdalene Laundries. The film’s critical reception suggests it will endure as a significant work, even if its measured pace limits mass appeal. For Murphy, the role adds to a career defined by choices that prioritise substance over spectacle. His willingness to tackle difficult historical material, combined with his star power, ensures the film reaches viewers who might otherwise overlook it.

A Story That Lingers

The film’s abrupt ending has divided audiences, but for many critics, it mirrors the unresolved nature of the trauma itself. As Empire noted, the film asks how good people allow bad things to happen — a question that resists tidy answers. Small Things Like These does not offer catharsis but instead insists on the discomfort of looking back. Its streaming debut ensures that the conversation it sparks will continue, even as the credits roll. For those willing to sit with its quiet power, the film offers a mirror held up to a dark chapter — and a faint, uncertain hope for the future.

The bottom line

• Small Things Like These is now streaming on Netflix UK, where it ranks #6 in the film chart.
• The film holds a 94% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes but a 6.7/10 audience score on IMDb.
• Cillian Murphy leads the cast as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant confronting Magdalene Laundry abuses.
• The Magdalene Laundries forced approximately 30,000 women into unpaid labour; the last closed in 1996.
• Director Tim Mielants and screenwriter Enda Walsh adapt Claire Keegan’s novel with a subtle, show-not-tell approach.
• The film’s abrupt ending and slow pace have polarised viewers, but critics praise its emotional depth.