In 2021, Claire Keegan’s novel on the Magdalene laundries Small Things Like These was released to acclaim, going on to be shortlisted for the famous Booker Prize. The turnaround between a book’s release and a film adaptation being made can vary, with some taking years to find their adaptive footing. In the case of Small Things Like These, a Tim Mielants-directed adaptation starring Cillian Murphy, the turnaround from book release to film adaptation has been staggeringly quick, with the film premiering at the Berlinale in 2024.
At the Berlinale press conference of Small Things Like These, Murphy states exactly how and why the turnaround for the film has been so quick: his wife. She read the book, prompted him to read it and they sought the movie rights. Surprisingly, they were available, and after getting producers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck involved (the former convinced on the New Mexico set of Chris Nolan’s Oppenheimer) and screenwriter Enda Walsh to pen a script in under two months, the film from concept to product took less than two years.
Damon said in the conference that he wishes all productions were this easy, but one would argue that gems are polished from friction, and without it, they can be a bit dull. It seems that’s what Small Things Like These has become after such a frictionless production: an unbuffed gem that needs as much of a polish as the protagonist’s coal-encrusted nails.
This review was posted on February 20th 2024. Full review linked below.
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