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'Small Things Like These' director discusses reuniting with Oscar winner Cillian Murphy on historical drama

"Small Things Like These," also starring Emily Watson, opens in theaters Friday, Nov. 8.

INDIANAPOLIS — Director Tim Mielants ("Legion," "The Terror") previously worked with Oscar winner Cillian Murphy ("Oppenheimer," "Inception") in the British period crime drama, "Peaky Blinders."

The two are reuniting for a 98-minute film called "Small Things Like These," based on the 128-book by Claire Keegan.

The historical drama follows a coal merchant (Murphy) in a small Irish town who comes across disturbing secrets at local convent and must determine what the right thing to do is— while also confronting his past.

"Me and Cillian, after 'Peaky Blinders,' we wanted to work again together, and we were looking for material, and it was Cillian's wife who was waving the book in front of us," Mielants said. "I read it, and I recognized the very personal story, which is very close to me, which is the grief."

"Small Things Like These" is Murphy's first role since winning the Oscar for Best Actor as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's film.

"I think it was very nice having him as a producer as well to go with him to locations, to explain everything upfront, to show him all of my storyboards and ideas," Mielants said. "From the moment we were on set, he knew exactly what I was offering, and we could start at a very high level, so that was marvelous."

Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Cillian Murphy accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "Oppenheimer" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Following the film's world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, actress Emily Watson ("Breaking the Waves," "Chernobyl") won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role of Sister Mary.

"I was hoping to work with her for a long time because I saw 'Breaking the Waves' when I was a little bit too young for it," Mielants said. "It was like a dream. I think it was Cillian's idea to ask her, but she was out of my league all of the time – strange when I was working with Cillian – but she was impossible to work with. And then, she was on the floor, and she was amazing and a blessing. I'm so proud of that scene."

Credit: AP/Markus Schreiber
Emily Watson poses with the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for "Small Things Like These" at the Berlin International Film Festival.

While the story itself is fictional, it is based on a real time in history, infamously known as the Magdalene laundries.

"I came in as a foreigner, so I didn't own that history, so I had a lot of Irish people helping me," Mielants said. "The value of it was that I was carrying that history on my shoulders and that I get more freedom to concentrate on the characters. It's the kind of thing that comes back and back in history: If you're silent, are you complicit? That's the DNA of the story."

"Small Things Like These" opens in theaters Friday, Nov. 8.

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