Written by: Max Porter
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson
Rating: [3.5/5]
Quite often the most rewarding jobs usually also coincidentally exist as the most thankless. Lines of work in service of others that do not necessarily provide an economic benefit to those in other lines of work. It does not make that work any less noble, as we see in Steve, where we watch a man try to keep his center and strive to assist troubled youth from completely falling apart.
At a last-chance reform school, Steve (Cillian Murphy), the head teacher, goes about each day trying to keep the place open despite the mounting challenges placed upon his shoulders. With a documentary crew on the grounds to chronicle the work being done to help these youngsters, the staff learn that the school will be shut down in six months.
Ignoring an issue and pushing it to the side instead of trying to mitigate it feels natural to us as humans. Why contend with the problem when we can simply not acknowledge it? Many would carry this very attitude when looking at the boys in this reform school where it would feel like a waste of resources to invest time and effort into troubled youth. Seeing some of the behavior within this film, you can somewhat understand why. However, we need individuals like Steve and his staff to not give up on these kids, which makes this film so difficult to watch as the titular character attempts to maintain remnants of his sanity.
With the staff learning about this school’s inevitable closure, it raises the very obvious question of what will happen to these boys. Without the reform school, there’s little doubt of where their lives would lead. Nothing positive and most likely a net negative, seeing the way they cannot control their emotions or impulses. It leaves Steve and his staff with this dejection of a system failing and giving up on these kids that found themselves in their current situation not entirely because of their own actions but rather because of their upbringing.
As we watch the documentary footage and follow Steve around, we witness the impeccable patience and faith he has for these boys. Even when some of them act like complete fools, he chooses to see them for their potential and their baseline humanity. He fully knows he exists as the final line of meaningful support they will receive. This toll and realization eventually lead to the spiral we see transpire with him as they ground the emotional effectiveness of this film.
For as much sadness we may feel when watching all of this through Steve’s eyes, audience members can also expect some humor throughout. For as rowdy and raucous as these kids are, from an outsider’s perspective, some of their behavior is genuinely funny. It can sure frustrate the staff, but we are audience members that do not need to clean up their mess so we can enjoy their harmful banter. It hits a bit differently because while at times they cannot stand each other, they have built a community amongst themselves thanks to the reform school. No one knows exactly what awaits them when it shuts down, but I doubt it will be the same.
Coming fresh off his well-deserved Best Actor Oscar in Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy continues to operate in the same arena by doing this small but impactful film. Most individuals who finally get their gold statue try to ride the money gravy train for as long as they can, but Murphy has proven throughout his career to operate differently than anyone else. He values meaningful projects beyond all else and rewards us with great performances as he does in his portrayal of Steve. You can see the genuine care he has for these boys while also the massive pressure of an impending doom he sees for them following the school’s closure. Murphy, unsurprisingly, portrays the struggle of Steve quite well and alone serves as a reason to check out this film.
While difficult to watch in moments, Steve packs a punch in showing the work of our real heroes. The work of individuals that throw away opportunity for higher pay and easier jobs and are willing to try and help the individuals society would rather lock away and not have to think about. This documentary style allows for an insight into the minds of these kids and how they view their place in the world in addition to displaying the great work done by this staff. A strong little film that deals with plenty and presents it well.
Films with Josh 
