Irish actor Cillian Murphy reflected on the "collective trauma" of Ireland's infamous Magdalene Laundries at the launch of his new film "Small Things Like These" at the Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday night.
The film, which is based on the Claire Keegan best-selling book "Small Things Like These", explores how a father and coal merchant accidentally discovers the abuse and suffering endured by women and babies at a local convent in New Ross, County Wexford, in 1980s Ireland.
The film starring Cillian Murphy, Ciaran Hinds and Michelle Fairley opened the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday night and will feature in competition at the festival, which runs until February 25.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Murphy said Ireland is still collectively processing the concept of Magdalene Laundries, which saw women sent to oppressive, church-run workhouses as punishment for having sex outside of marriage.
The Magdalene Laundries systems went unchallenged in Ireland until 1993 when the bodies of 155 women were discovered at the site of a laundry in North Dublin. The last Magdalene Laundry closed in October in 1996.
"I do think that it was a collective trauma, particularly for people of a certain age," Murphy said at a press conference on Thursday. "I think that we’re still processing that."
Check out a clip from "Small Things Like These" here:
Murphy stated that he does not believe that he is qualified to speak on the issue on behalf of the Irish nation but said he also believes that can be a "really useful" bandage for the wound.
"I think the book certainly was, and it was a huge seller in Ireland, it seemed like everybody read it," Murphy said.
"And I think, the sort of irony of the book is that it's a Christian man trying to do a Christian act in a dysfunctional Christian society.
"And it asked a lot of questions about complicity and silence and shame and all of those things.
"But I really don't think the duty of art is to answer those questions (but) is to kind of provoke them, and maybe it's kind of easier to absorb than an academic report, or a government report."
Murphy stars as coal merchant Bill Furlong in the new film, which is directed by "Peaky Blinders" director Tim Mielants.
The film was adapted for the big screen by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, a long-time collaborator with Murphy.
It is the first Irish production in history to open the Berlin International Film Festival and is produced by Artists Equity, a new company formed by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Damon told Thursday's press conference that it was a "very easy" decision to help adapt Keegan's book into a feature film.
"Just to echo what Cillian said, that was one of the one of the things that attracted us to it, were these great artists grappling with... this trauma," Damon said.
"And so I mean, for us, just as you know, on on our side of it, it was a very easy proposition. It was about facilitating an environment where they could do this, work and explore these things, and really getting out of their way."
Damon said he was extremely impressed by Murphy when the pair co-starred in "Oppenheimer" together last summer, adding that he immediately became interested in producing Small Things Like These.
"I was out in the New Mexican desert with Cillian. I was sitting across from him watching what he was doing in 'Oppenheimer'," Damon said at Thursday's press conference.
"I had already called Ben and told him what I was witnessing and how incredible it was. A couple of days later Cillian told me, ‘I have my next movie I really want to do.’ And I said, ‘We are starting a studio. Can we be a part of it?’"
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