The Netflix drama Steve, directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Max Porter from his novel Shy, tries to deliver a gritty, vérité-style exploration of a troubled reform school in 1996 Britain. Unfortunately, the film ends up as a stylish but shallow imitation of realism, offering more noise than nuance.
A Loaded Story with No Center
Cillian Murphy stars as Steve, a teacher at a controversial school for violent and antisocial boys. Over the course of one turbulent day, a news crew arrives to film an exposé, the staff learns the school will shut down in six months, a student wrestles with suicidal thoughts, and a fellow teacher slips toward relapse. On paper, the stakes are immense. On screen, the execution feels like a chaotic jumble—an effortful performance of intensity without genuine depth.
Characters Without Dimension
Instead of fleshing out its adolescent characters, Steve reduces them to one-note sketches of cruelty and dysfunction, shorthand for broad social ills. The film’s compassion is loudly proclaimed but rarely demonstrated. Supporting roles, including Tracey Ullman and Emily Watson, bring warmth but remain underdeveloped. Even Murphy, who throws himself into the role with haunted intensity, is left playing a familiar archetype: the broken man trying to fix broken boys.
Style Over Substance
Mielants keeps the camera constantly moving—darting close-ups, simulated long tracking shots, restless edits—mimicking volatility without ever digging into the realities of pedagogy or rehabilitation. Critics note that serious issues like suicide, addiction, and sexual assault are reduced to plot devices, treated as suspense or background noise rather than thoughtfully explored. The result is a film that feels all dressed up but going nowhere.
Final Verdict
Despite Murphy’s commitment and Mielants’ flair, Steve is a frustrating, hollow experience, mistaking frenzied energy for authenticity. Its failure to engage with class, race, or education in meaningful ways leaves it a missed opportunity—stylized chaos posing as honesty.
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Grade: C-
Steve premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, opens in select theaters on September 19, 2025, and streams on Netflix starting October 3, 2025.
