Based on Max Porter's best-selling 2023 novella Shy, Netflix's classroom drama Steve is a darkly funny and unflinchingly honest portrayal of young men trapped in a broken system.
Written by Porter himself, the lean 90-minute feature, set over a single night in the mid-'90s, offers an intimate snapshot of adolescents at a last-chance reform school facing closure. Abandoned by society, the classmates lean on headmaster Steve (an unwavering Cillian Murphy) as their last line of defence. But the war he's fighting is much closer to home. More on that later.
While the book tells the story through the eyes of troubled teen Shy (newcomer Jay Lycurgo), the film makes a bold and effective shift by placing the narrative on Steve. This masterful change in perspective allows Porter, who also serves as executive producer, to shine a powerful spotlight on how societal neglect has shaped the characters' lives.
Director Tim Mielants, who previously collaborated with Murphy on Small Things Like These, deftly draws the viewer deep into his characters' emotional worlds through intimate camerawork, slow zooms, and minimal lighting, amplifying the sense of abandonment and intense unease. At times, the audience may feel a deep discomfort, as if they're in the room with the characters, witnessing the chaos unfold in real time.
The sustained anarchy and predictable ending may have some viewers putting themselves in detention, but when it comes to casting, Steve passes with flying colours.
Murphy's role as a producer through his company, Big Things Films, underscores his evident passion for the project. He delivers a gold-star turn with a deeply introspective portrayal of a man whose faith in the system he serves has been shattered. His emotional fragility reflects the unrest of the teens around him, while subtly revealing how trauma leaves enduring marks on a person's life.
Promising young actor Jay Lycurgo commands the screen with an utterly affecting performance - raw, restrained, and truly unforgettable.
With every punchy beat, Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow's score carries the film's soul, capturing the restless mayhem simmering within the school walls. Viewers are taken on a wild and raucous ride that will have their eardrums buzzing on the journey home.
Steve is in selected cinemas 19 September, and on Netflix from 3 October.
