Cillian Murphy Lifts Small Things Like These to No. 6 on Netflix
cillian murphy’s Small Things Like These has climbed to No. 6 in Netflix’s UK film chart after being added to the service earlier this week. The move puts Tim Mielants’ drama in front of a wider streaming audience in the UK, even as its slow-burn style has divided viewers.
Bill Furlong on Netflix
Murphy stars as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in 1980s New Ross who uncovers the truth about abuse at his local convent and risks his family’s safety to help the women trapped there. The film is based on Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel and was written by Enda Walsh, with the story rooted in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.
Those institutions forced approximately 30,000 women into intense and unpaid labour, which gives the film a historical weight that sits behind its current streaming run. A No. 6 position is a strong placement for a drama that does not rely on spectacle; it signals that Netflix viewers are finding it quickly after release.
Critics and viewers diverge
Small Things Like These holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 124 critic reviews, and Time Out described Murphy’s work with the phrase “profound performance.” Empire Magazine called it “a deliberate film that uses small moments to examine one of the great questions of our time: how good people let bad things happen, and how we might push back against the dark.”
Viewer reaction has been less uniform. The film carries an average IMDb score of 6.7 out of 10, and one review called it “absorbing,” “an important watch,” and praised its “beautiful performances,” while also noting, “It’s not the most entertaining movie in the world, but it isn’t supposed to be and its creeping power can’t quite be denied.” Another review from Digital Spy said, “While some may find it a touch slow, it’s [the] subtle, show-not-tell storytelling that delivers the drama’s emotional blow. A lot is unspoken (much like when the Laundries operated at the time) but the abrupt ending offers some – perhaps uncertain – hope for the future.”
Why the chart climb matters
The current chart position gives Netflix a straightforward win: a prestige Irish drama with a 94% critic score is still converting exposure into UK viewing. For Murphy, the No. 6 placement widens the audience beyond the original release cycle and puts a serious performance in front of viewers who may have skipped it in cinemas or on its first run.
Now that Small Things Like These is available to stream on Netflix, the only real question is how long it can hold that visibility against faster-moving titles. For a film built on restraint rather than pace, staying in the UK top tier would be the clearest sign that word of mouth is doing some of the work.
