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Small Things Like These

Name: Small Things Like These
Director: Tim Mielants
Released: 2024
Duration: 99 min

Representation Score

6.1/10

Good

2024

PG-13

Director

Tim Mielants

Runtime

99 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Small Things Like These is a period drama that prioritizes systemic critique over broad demographic variety. It succeeds by deconstructing the institutional power of the Catholic Church and the patriarchal structures of 1980s Ireland. The film uses its specific setting to explore how religious authority can manipulate national identity and suppress individual conscience. While the film lacks LGBTQ+ and racial diversity, these absences feel grounded in the historical accuracy of a provincial Irish town. The narrative's strength lies in its exploration of class and the vulnerability of women within a rigid social order. Ultimately, the film's impact comes from its moral complexity. It challenges the communal consensus of a small town, favoring a nuanced, individualistic ethical framework over traditional social stability.

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Category Breakdown

Does Small Things Like These have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on the historical realities of 1980s Ireland. It does not include explicit LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships.

How does Small Things Like These portray gender?

Good

The narrative disrupts traditional hierarchies by centering on the systemic oppression of women. It critiques the patriarchal control exerted by the Church and the resulting female disenfranchisement.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Small Things Like These?

Limited

The setting is highly specific to a 1985 Irish provincial town. The film operates within a homogeneous demographic framework reflective of its historical and geographic context.

How does Small Things Like These represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film provides a profound critique of the Catholic Church as an oppressive force. It exposes the situational ethics of a community prioritizing social stability over human rights.

Does Small Things Like These include disability representation?

Fair

There is no primary focus on physical or neurodivergent disability. The film instead explores the invisible trauma and psychological vulnerability of those who are institutionalized.

Present on Screen

Provides a profound critique of the Catholic Church's historical role in Ireland.
Effectively explores the systemic oppression and disenfranchisement of women.
Offers a sophisticated look at the friction between individual ability to act and institutional power.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight characters.
Operates within a very homogeneous demographic framework with little racial diversity.
Does not feature characters whose ability to act is defined by physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong 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.

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