WATCHET Community Cinema will be screening Small Things Like These on Friday, April 25.

Adapted from the Booker Prize nominated novella by Claire Keegan, this historical drama is set over Christmas in 1985, when devoted father and Irish coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) discovers startling secrets kept by the convent in his town, along with some shocking truths of his own.

The film reveals what happened in Ireland's infamous Magdalene laundries, asylums run by Roman Catholic institutions from the 1820s until 1996, ostensibly to reform "fallen young women".

As a relatable everyman, Murphy matches the understated presentation of the film around him beat-for-beat, adding even greater weight to the story which, although desperately tragic, emphasises how pivotal just a single act of kindness can be.

From the muted colours to the slice-of-life pacing, right down to Emily Watson’s chilling turn as Sister Mary, this is a story about the terrible strain of fighting one’s own moral compass and then choosing true north because no other direction will let you live with yourself, Small Things Like These is a quiet and haunting film that strikingly captures the sadness and beauty of its characters' lives.

The story’s author, Claire Keegan is an Irish writer known for her short stories, which have been published in The New Yorker, Best American Short Stories, Granta, and The Paris Review. She is also known for her novellas, two of which have been adapted as films; Foster (The Quiet Girl, 2022) and Small Things Like These (2024).

This film is being shown at the Watchet Community Cinema at Knights Templar School.

Doors open at 6.30pm and the film starts at 7pm. Tickets cost £4 are available on the door.

For more information, call Anne on 07557 734795.