Films like “Short Term 12” or “Dangerous Minds” often remind us of the extreme situations that can arise in the teaching profession. Tim Mielants’s “Steve” is adapted from Max Porter’s novel “Shy”. While the book focused on the character of Shy, a student in the featured school, the film adaptation centers around headteacher Steve, played by Oscar-winning Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”). Mielants and Murphy follow up their quiet 2024 collaboration “Small Things Like These” with a film that couldn’t be more audibly different. “Steve” takes the concept of rowdy and out-of-control students to unnerving levels. Mielants mirrors the behavioral chaos in the filmmaking style, keeping the viewer on edge, looking in every direction, as the faculty endure just another 24 hours.
“It’s permanent crisis mode,” Amanda (Tracey Ullman) describes in an interview about Stanton Wood Manor. The school functions as an alternative for teenagers who have been virtually given up on due to their behavior. Headteacher Steve (Murphy) describes their student body as “Extraordinarily complex individuals”. When he isn’t breaking up fights, locating missing students, or trying to calm down a teacher, Steve is battling his own internal demons. The school has received bad news, a camera crew is interviewing students and staff for a news story, and a local member of parliament is visiting. This might set off a meltdown at any other school, but it’s just Tuesday for Steve and the members of Stanton Wood Monroe.
The film feels like we're on a ride; once it starts there are no stops or exits.
Set in 1996, aside from Steve using a handheld recorder to capture his thoughts and ideas, students employ the era’s catchphrase, “As if,” and discuss popular music artists of the 1990s to drive home the period. The film feels like we’re on a ride; once it starts there are no stops or exits. It’s never a delightful ride as both students and faculty maintain a steady level of anguish for the entire runtime. The filmmaking technique embeds the viewer in the world by using shaky, handheld cinematography, which whips around to capture whatever action is interrupting a scene. Loud music in varying moments also works to demonstrate mood and feeling. “More focus, less fighting”, Steve reprimands one student, but in this environment, you must fight to focus.
Engaging but not pleasant or enjoyable is the verdict here. Mielants dedication to reinventing the teacher/student subgenre is admirable. Far more enticing than his previous film that felt like paint drying, so it’s a step in the right direction. The narrative though is somewhat at odds with itself trying to, at various times, take both Steve and Shy’s point of view. We don’t get enough time with either character to feel more than spectatorship. Murphy’s performance is a grand departure from the quieter roles he gravitates towards. Here is has ticks, he’s emotional, often one nerve pill away from exhibiting the same behavior as his students. The filmmaking ambition is certainly on display, but the entire package leaves you a bit numb by the rousing conclusion.
Final Thought
"Steve" delivers ambitious filmmaking and engagement over any sort of emotional reaction from its audience.