Small things like these

 

After all the hype of this film, I got the chance to see it today.

It is set in 1985, which was around the time that I myself came

to Ireland, so I was interested from that angle also.

I did think the film portrayed well the way things were at the 

time, it had exactly the atmosphere that I remember.

 

Other than that, for me the film was in reality about personal 

trauma, rather than yet again more about the harshness of the 

Catholic Church, even though that was obviously the angle of

the Hollywood producers. 

 

Nobody is denying that there was sometimes a lack of charity

in these homes, and the existence of hush money, transaction 

of babies etc; the corruption in Ireland was shocking at the time, 

it was the norm. 

The government, politicians, businesses, Courts,

it was everywhere. 

 

Having said that, of course the Church being Christ's Mystical 

Body should not have acted the same way, I am only saying it 

as it gives the context of the Ireland at the time. 

 

Times were hard for many, and the reason why the girls ended 

up in these places is because their parents forced them there. 

This was clearly depicted in a scene in the film. 

The cruelty was first and foremost from their families who 

disowned them, and if anything, the nuns rescued them, where

would they otherwise be after having been thrown out by their 

family?

 

Furthermore, cruelty and violence towards women who find

themselves with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy today,

has not diminished, but massively increased. 

They are pushed and encouraged to abort their baby, 

from family, friends and society in general, and from 

"health professionals", without knowing the emotional and 

psychological consequences which of course only comes 

afterwards, sometimes many years after. 

It is impossible to erase from a woman's mind and soul the 

memory of a real human being that she carried inside her, 

and whom she decided to kill. It is engraved in her heart.

Indeed I would argue that the violence towards vulnerable 

persons today is at least as great as before, despite new laws

which seeks to protect, because in practice they are ignored.

 

Anyone in Ireland today who works with children 

(under18 years of age) or vulnerable adults, has to undergo 

training and obtain certificate of completion which

mandates and obliges them under the law

to report to Tusla, (a government body for protection of children) 

suspected cases of mistreatment. 

But this is just another case of ticking boxes. 

 

In real life, in schools and in other institutions, the staff

close their eyes, ears, and especially their mouths.

Just like they said in the film "Small things like these":

"in order to get on in life you have to ignore many things".

 The opposition to anyone who reports a case is instant and severe.

 "Small things like these" ?

 

Cillian Murphy is portrayed as a deep and brooding personality,

but after his comment in relation to the release of this film, where 

he said that the time in Ireland when a woman could not get an 

abortion was like the dark ages, implying that abortion availability

is a sign of great progress and enlightenment, he strikes me as a 

superficial Hollywood pretty boy type.