After years of British cinema neglecting the “schooling the unschoolable” genre, Steve, directed by Tim Mielants (Peaky Blinders), revives it with a poignant mix of grit and compassion. Premiering in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Netflix-backed drama is anchored by a soulful performance from Cillian Murphy, who also serves as producer.
A School on the Brink
Set in 1996, the film unfolds at Stanton Wood, a reform school for troubled boys. Murphy plays Steve, the headmaster whose calm authority is put to the test when a TV crew arrives under the guise of documenting his work. Their real mission, however, is exposé: the school is seen by some as “a last chance” and by others as “an expensive dumping ground for lost causes,” costing taxpayers £30k per year.
The news gets worse — the school board announces that the institution, housed in a crumbling mansion, will be sold off at the end of the year. For Steve, this isn’t just an attack on a building, but the dismantling of his life’s work.
Chaos and Compassion
Mielants captures the atmosphere with a restless handheld camera, blending vérité style with grainy VHS textures from the crew’s footage. The students are portrayed as a mix of humor, volatility, and vulnerability — cheeky and funny one moment, violent and unstable the next. Emily Watson plays the weary psychologist, while Tracey Ullman delivers sharp warmth as Amanda, the deputy who calls herself “part prison warden, part nurse, part battleaxe, part mummy… and I f*cking love them.”
At the center of the story is Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a student hiding devastating news: his violent fits have led his mother and stepfather to cut ties with him completely. “But what if I need you?” he asks in disbelief — a question that encapsulates the film’s central theme of abandonment and care.
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Cillian Murphy at His Best
Murphy disappears into the role, sporting a beard and a grounded physicality after his gaunt Oppenheimer turn. His Steve is gentle but quietly burdened, a man defined by a tragic backstory and struggling against his own relapse into alcohol and prescription drugs. Yet he radiates kindness, especially toward Shy, embodying the exhausting but vital act of being there for others.
A Quietly Powerful Ensemble
Though Murphy is the draw, the film wisely spreads its spotlight. The ensemble of students recalls the chaotic camaraderie of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, without a Nurse Ratched figure. Instead, Steve offers a portrait of care under pressure, a bittersweet acknowledgment that selflessness often demands saint-like patience.
Verdict
At just 92 minutes, Steve is brisk yet layered, weaving institutional critique with human drama. While it avoids sentimentality, it remains deeply emotional, positioning itself as both a revival of a dormant genre and a showcase for Murphy’s versatility.
