Steve Review (TIFF): Doing Good in Chaos
Streaming Movie Review - Netflix - Drama
Stories about inspirational teachers helping troubled kids are nothing new. They have existed as long as inspirational teachers have helped troubled kids, which is to say, forever. But Tim Mielants’s Steve, coming soon to Netflix, is less about a long-term story of kids overcoming unspeakable odds with the help of one kind teacher, and more about the actual problems that kids face and a single day of a teacher trying to figure out how to simply keep them out of jail.
Steve (Cillian Murphy) is a headteacher at a reform school. The school is the last stop for the students before they end up in prison. Along with another teacher, Amanda (Tracey Ullman), and the therapist, Jenny (Emily Watson), the staff is trying to figure out how to help these kids on a minimal budget. As cuts continue to loom, a documentary crew comes in to interview the staff and students, and each shares insights into who they are and why they are there.
While Steve focuses on the headteacher, it also includes plenty of footage of the students, most notably Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a quiet young man who has fits of rage that we both hear about and see. We get little backstory on the other students, but we do have a greater context for Shy’s life outside of the school, which helps us connect with his story a bit more. This makes sense, given that the film is based on the novel “Shy” from author Max Porter, who adapted it for the screen.
The switch from Shy to Steve yielded mixed results, as we gained a clearer understanding of what motivates Shy over Steve. He seems to be a more complex, well-drawn character than the teacher, and Lycurgo’s performance of Shy makes that all the more true. It is a nuanced and beautiful performance from this young actor. That said, Murphy is an astounding actor, and his work as the titular character is impressive.
One of the best moments in Steve is when we hear him talking about the students who we have seen behaving in one way and hearing what he admires about them. It is powerful to know that when you are truly seen by someone, you become more than the simple actions that others see. That said, the film does little to help show us some of those deeper understandings of anyone other than Shy, so it feels somewhat hollow.
The camera work in the film is chaotic and, at times, difficult to watch. Steve is often in pandemonium, with plenty of whip pans, shaky cam, and other visual effects that can be disorienting. Nevertheless, that style of filming allows us to feel more inside the events happening. And the moments where things calm allow for far more reflection.
This movie is a massive departure from Mielants’s work last year with Small Things Like These, trading in quiet subtlety for something far more bombastic. Even so, as you examine the stories, you can see a through line of an adult doing his best to protect a child from a system that wants to hurt them. That aspect alone makes Steve worth watching.
(This film was originally screened at its World Premiere at TIFF.)
Rating: 3/5
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on September 12, 2025.