This year has been truly the force of recognition for Cillian Murphy. It is not like Murphy’s talent went unnoticed all along, but with Oppenheimer’s atomic arrival; it has been hard for people to shift their eyes from the Oscar winner. Especially with the movie's winning streak this award season along with the nail in the coffin at the Academy Awards, fans have often found the scope to revisit Christopher Nolan’s milestone from 2023. But amidst these buzzers of anticipation and congratulations, cinephiles have unintentionally overlooked the actor’s exceptional artistry in 2024.

To aid the fans with the missing puzzle of Murphy’s theatrical credentials, this piece will account in detail for the sleeper hit of 2024.

Fans of Cillian Murphy know well that the cards of versatility remain homebound in the Murphy mansion. Yet, when it comes to his flare for period pieces, no other genre hits home like this one. Hence, in the initial stretch of this year, while the world was rooting for Oppenheimer’s victory, Murphy stepped onto another chapter of a historical saga with Tim Mielant’s Small Things like These. It is an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel of the same name.

Apart from being the lead in the historical drama, Murphy also took the producer's chair for this film along with Alan Moloney via Big Things Films. Starring alongside the Oscar winner are Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Emily Watson, Clare Dunne, and Helen Bahan. Moving onto the storyline, Small Things like These focuses on Ireland’s disreputable Magdalene laundries and is an international co-production between Ireland and Belgium. It had its world premiere on February 15 at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival. 

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Despite having gone unnoticed amidst Oppenheimer’s craze, the film debuted with stellar ratings and is still holding up the flag of distinction for its vision.

As Cillian Murphy’s first role after Oppenheimer, the success trials have followed Small Things like These as well. Debuted with an impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie follows the horror asylums run by Roman Catholic institutions between the 18th and late 20th centuries. The movie follows Murphy’s Bill Furlong’s perspective in 1985 in a fictitious Irish town. 

Currently, the movie has 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.3 rating on IMDb. Furthermore, Emily Watson also won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things like These to mark its first of many victories. While the movie is presently unavailable for streaming, the overwhelmingly positive response suggests it has the potential to solidify its position among films that validate his Oscar-worthy status. Similarly, in time, it might just overcome the tag of being an underrated movie.

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