Oscar-winner Matt Damon first learned of new independent drama “Small Things Like These” while filming the blockbuster “Oppenheimer” opposite co-lead Cillian Murphy last year. Watching his co-star’s gripping performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer up close sparked an immediate phone call to producing partner Ben Affleck pitching Artists Equity, their nascent studio aiming to provide crew profit shares, join the project Murphy was passionate about next.
Their enthusiasm proved fortuitous, as Artists Equity boarded “Small Things Like These” as a key backer. This intimate character study anchored by Murphy’s nuanced turn officially opened the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival Thursday night. Adapted from an acclaimed Irish novel set in 1980s Ireland, the film confronts the solemn legacy of Magdalene Laundries – Church-run asylums notoriously exploiting “fallen women” for menial labor.
Murphy stars as Bill Furlong, a humble coal merchant and family man who discovers unsettling signs of abuse at his local convent. This triggers long-buried memories of Bill’s own troubled childhood, forcing fateful questions of moral courage. Emily Watson joins as the convent’s stern authoritarian leader alongside a stellar ensemble cast.
For Damon, Murphy’s searing performance promises to resonate with audiences longing for smart, socially conscious adult drama. “This film doesn’t pander. It asks audiences to care about cinema,” he declared. “When I broke through in the 1990’s, movies like this thrived. I’m grateful we can bring films like ‘Small Things’ back to theaters – we’ll see what happens.”
Indeed, the appetite remains judging by rapid sales here in Berlin. But can mature indie dramas find footing as studios increasingly fixate on global IP blockbusters instead? Director Tim Mielants believes Murphy’s anchor turn paired with universal themes of grief and redemption will attract fans ready for substance over spectacle.
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Certainly for Irish people, “Small Things Like These” provides cathartic storytelling reflecting on lingering national traumas. Murphy himself suggested art can serve as “useful balm” processing painful histories together. Perhaps this intimately crafted highlight of Berlin 2023 suggests room endures for films bridging understanding across peoples by appealing to our shared humanity.
With “Small Things,” Artists Equity makes an early statement balancing business and social value as their young studio challenges traditional profit-first models. Now fans determine whether emotionally authentic dramas centered on ordinary people find fertile soil in today’s brace blockbuster ecosystem. However Berlin audiences receive this production passion project, Damon and Murphy are clearly just getting started shaking up Hollywood.
