Save for his standout performance in Oppenheimer, and maybe 28 Days Later, rarely has Cillian Murphy been better than he is in Steve, a devastating yet darkly funny look at how people hold themselves together when everything is coming apart from the inside. Adapted by author Max Porter from his own novel (Shy), the events in Steve take place over one emotionally-charged day at a last-chance reform school in the mid-’90s, a place that feels both chaotic and sympathetic, filled with kids no one else wants.

Murphy plays Steve, the school’s overworked headmaster, who’s doing his best to keep things running even as he learns the institution is facing closure. On the surface, Steve is the kind of guy everyone likes – cheerful, upbeat, and the adult who still remembers what it’s like to be a kid. But under that reluctant grin, Steve’s barely keeping it together. He’s drowning in the pressure, guilt, and self-doubt of running the school, so he numbs his pain with substances and false bravado. To add insult to injury, a TV news crew is on campus filming a special-interest video.

The film plays out over the course of a single day, interwoven with the grainy 90s-era video clips of news interviews conducted with staff and students as they answer questions about their time at Stanton Wood boarding school. These snippets provide not only insight into the fragile, broken psyches of the students and teachers, but also visually set us in a specific time and space: the mid-'90s.

Meanwhile, one of Steve’s students, Shy (a fantastic Jay Lycurgo, The Batman), is fighting his own emotional battle. He’s volatile and self-destructive, but you can see the vulnerability glimmering beneath the angst. The phone call he receives from his mother is one of the most heartbreaking bits of dialogue you’ll see on film. The connection between Steve and Shy, two lost souls at different ends of the same spiral, is the heart of the film. Their scenes crackle with energy and empathy, like two people who recognize each other’s psychological wounds.

The highlight of the film is Porter’s script, which brings an emotional rawness to the screen. The dialogue feels real, and the pacing oddly hypnotic. You can almost feel the walls of the school closing in as the tension intensifies. Director Tim Mielants and DP Robrecht Heyvaert drench everything in a hazy, washed-out palette that perfectly captures the mid-’90s grit and melancholy. Yet there are flashes of light, too. Moments of absurd humor and small, genuine connections that keep the film from crumbling under its own emotional weight.

The supporting cast is equally up to the task. Emily Watson’s Jenny brings warmth and compassion, a colleague who sees right through Steve’s front. Tracey Ullman’s Amanda pops in and out, adding some much-needed dark humor, reminding us that sometimes laughter is the only thing keeping misery at bay.

For all its heavy subject matter, mental illness, addiction, and failure, Steve isn’t a slog. Stick with it! Yes, it’s slow-moving, raw, unfiltered, and downright depressing at times. But it’s also strangely uplifting. A reminder that even when we’re at our lowest, there’s beauty in human connection, humor in darkness, and grace in simply being there. Porter threads in bits of black comedy and humanity that make the pain feel bearable. You can sense the love he has for his characters, flaws and all. Steve doesn’t preach or offer tidy resolutions; it just lies down with the messiness of being human and lets us feel it.

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 93 mins
Director: Tim Mielants
Writer: Max Porter
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Watson, Tracy Ullman 
Genre: Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "If 1996 Shy could say anything to 1990 Shy, what would he say?"
Distributor: Netflix
Official Site: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/steve-cillian-murphy-cast-release-date-news
Release Date: September 19, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Follows headteacher Steve battling for his reform college's survival while managing his mental health. Concurrently, troubled student Shy navigates his violent tendencies and fragility, torn between his past and future prospects.