Cillian Murphy stars as a small-town coal merchant Bill Furlong in the first trailer for Small Things Like These. Based on Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel of the same name, the Irish drama follows Furlong as he discovers a dark secret being kept by the town’s nuns.
“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 film’s logline reads.
More specifically, the story is rooted in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries, asylums that forcibly held “fallen women” – often those who were deemed promiscuous by Roman Catholic standards.
Rounding out the main cast are Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Emily Watson, Clare Dunne and Helen Behan. Tim Mielants is directing a script written by Enda Walsh.
Watch the trailer for Small Things Like These above. The film premieres in theaters on November 8.
