Image Credit: 2025 Netflix, Inc.
Steve, directed by Tim Mielants and adapted from the novel Shy, is a gripping and emotionally intense drama that delves deep into the chaotic world of a 90s reform school.
Featuring powerhouse performances from Cillian Murphy and Jay Lycurgo, alongside Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, and Little Simz. The film explores the fragile and complex relationships between troubled teens and the adults striving to guide them.
At the center of the story is Steve, played by Cillian Murphy, the head of the school. A man walking a tightrope between authority and friendship. Steve is not your typical head teacher… he swears and jokes around with the students, and tries to be ‘in on their world’.
But beneath this camaraderie lies a fragile battle with his own mental health struggles and a hidden addiction to drugs and alcohol. Steve’s character embodies the profound importance of teachers in shaping young lives during their most formative years. As he says in the film:
‘These are extraordinarily complex, uh, young people, these lads. Extraordinarily complex. These years are so crucial — they shape who you become’
His efforts to connect with the students being firm yet approachable, a disciplinarian but also a friend highlight how vital these relationships are. Teachers like Steve don’t just impart knowledge but they provide stability hope and guidance to teens wrestling with their own personal battles.
The film brilliantly show cases how educators influence not only academic growth but emotional survival. The story unfolds over a single turbulent day shadowed by a TV crew capturing the schools reality. As fights erupt, a tense visit from a Conservative MP goes awry, and the teachers learn the school is closing in six months, Steve’s own world teeters on the edge of destruction.
His struggle to not cross the line between being an authority figure and a confidant intensifies especially as he tries to protect and support Shy, Jay Lycurgo, a complex student battling abandonment and depression. Shy is portrayed with remarkable nuance. When asked to describe himself in three words he said one moment she’s ‘depressed, angry, and bored the next, chatty, clever, and chilled’.
This emotional volatility captures the raw reality of many teens who grapple with conflicting feelings while trying to find their place in the world. Shys difficult relationship with his mother who chooses to cut him off deepens his sense of isolation. The films layered portrayal of these young lives alongside the equally flawed but dedicated teachers reveals how teaching is not just a profession but a lifeline. Cillian Murphys portrayal of Steve is heartbreaking and authentically capturing a man whos deeply flawed yet fiercely committed. Jay Lycurgo’s, Shy, is raw and compelling, his emotions pouring through every scene.
Together, their performances vividly bring to life the turbulent often heart breaking reality of reform school life. Steve is a powerful reminder of the immense responsibility teachers carry and the ever lasting impact they have on their students. It shows us that in those formative years the right guidance and human connection can mean the difference between despair and hope.
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