‘Steve’ review: Netflix delivers heartfelt drama starring Cillian Murphy
Few actors can demand your attention as much as Cillian Murphy, and his latest film, Steve, is further evidence of this.
Steve, a Netflix original, earned a limited theatrical release from September 19 before arriving on the streaming platform on October 3.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence writes why this is a must-see drama.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
What is ‘Steve’ about?
Steve stars Murphy in the titular role as a headteacher of a residential reform school for troubled young men.
Murphy reunites with director Tim Mielants (Small Things Like These), who helms this movie from a screenplay written by Max Porter, who adapts his 2023 novella Shy.
Set in the mid-90s (you’ll hear radio reports of Euro 96 in the background of the film’s opening), Steve charts this troubled teacher’s day in the life of an underfunded, chaotic, reform institution determined to do right by its troubled residents.
Steve must contend with a documentary crew asking personal questions of staff and students alike, supporting a new member of staff (a role inhabited by the talented Little Simz), and the prospect that his school will be shut down in less than six months.
The trials and tribulations of a turbulent 24 hours trigger Steve’s leniency on drugs and alcohol, and on top of all of this, he has to struggle to connect with Shy, a young man staying at the school, wrestling with his negative thoughts.
‘Steve’ is underpinned by great performances and a profound message
Several ingredients make Steve a great watch.
First, there’s the compact one-hour and 33-minute runtime, which suits the home cinema experience well.
Second, the documentary premise within the film informs the way the feature is shot and edited, providing an intimate feel to the proceedings.
The performances throughout the film are exemplary, and Murphy is at his brilliant best as this wounded, empathetic soldier of a man desperately fighting to give his young students a second chance in life.
His chemistry with actor Jay Lycurgo, who plays Shy, anchors this film and the relationship between their characters is a potent tug of war that moves you from scene to scene.
The ensemble cast of young men who make up the student roster in the film is viscerally brilliant, lending an authenticity to the proceedings that is backed up by the likes of
Tracey Ullman’s deputy, Amanda, and Emily Watson’s visiting therapist, Jenny.
However, the film’s true success is its examination of mental health and how quickly someone can succumb to their circumstances and dark inner thoughts.
Examining such a sensitive subject sympathetically makes this more than a piece of entertainment, but an education that lingers in the heart and mind long after turning off the television.
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