Steve
Written by Nicole Cabrera
An old and frankly out-of-touch statement that was often said was “those who can’t do, teach.” One of the world’s oldest professions and whether one enjoyed their time in school or not, a majority of people have had experience in the classroom. An often misunderstood profession; teaching is thought to be an easy profession by some, with excellent benefits and summers off- there is a misconception that the job is just talking, assigning work and that anyone can do it. In reality, it’s a rewarding but difficult job that takes up most of one’s working days and follows one home as teachers try to shape the generations of tomorrow. Getting into the mindset of a teacher under pressure, Tim Mielants teams up with Cillian Murphy once again (they previously worked on Small Things like These) as the role of titular teacher under pressure: Steve Murphy is a teacher who works at a school for behavioural boys and follows him through his day and all the stresses that come along with it.
Based on the book Shy by Max Porter, what separates films like Steve from others is that this is not a harrowing tale about a teacher defying the odds or someone who created something new and innovative; rather, a story of a regular teacher -- no private school or alp of luxury. Steve is the head teacher at Staton Wood, a prep school made for troubled young men, those who need extra outside help from the reach of a regular classroom and would often slip through the cracks. The chaotic whirlwind of Steve’s life from wrangling his wayward boys, stopping them from beating each other to a pulp, or being public nuisances and being the beacon for his fellow teachers, to making the school news worthy for the media coming to do a story on the school and ultimately, the tragic news that the school will be closing down.
As a result, Steve is carrying massive amounts of pressure on his shoulders, as he openly states when asked to describe himself in 3 words: “ very, very, tired”. Steve not only focuses on the titular character but his fellow teacher, a fantastic cast supported by Tracey Ullman as Amanda, his second in command -- who acts to ground Steve when things start to slip from his grasp. The film also focuses on the students themselves, more so revolving around Shy — a good-spirited boy with a troubled past, a jokester and instigator, he is seen to receive news from his parents that they no longer want to take responsibility for him or his antics, and when he is done at school, he is completely on his own.This devastates Shy as he is being thrown out into the world, a complete betrayal of him. In pseudo-mockumentary style, the boys are introduced - Riley, Jamie, Owen, and we see that while they seem like good kids, they are rambunctious and fairly out of control; enough to cause even the saneist, calmest person a little crazy. The film adds some much-needed humour here to lighten the mood and stop the film from being a completely dead straight serious.
Steve is a nurtured look at the struggles teachers go through, with a committed performance by Cilliam Murphy in the title role.
Cillian Murphy shines in this film not for a bombastic performance but for being grounded. He is outwardly calm, soft spoken but in his private moments is a high strung ball of anxiety and Cillian pivots between the two points flawlessly. He has spoken of his great respect for teachers, as both his parents were teachers, and through his performance, it comes across that he understands the highs and lows that can come along with teaching. Speaking from personal experience (as this reviewer is a teacher in their day job) the teaching environment has changed drastically in the years since COVID -- the pressure to help each student succeed, take on all the responsibility of the classroom, while simultaneously dealing with the ever changing economic and political climate, the looming worry about funding cuts, changes in students needs, the over consumption of technology and the desire to put students first; It is a job that doesn't stop at 5 pm and follows one home. Steve displays those ongoing stresses, the pressure to perform and it causes all too familiar anxiety in this reviewer. In fact, in this current climate, I know more people like Steve than I care to admit. As a result, Steve is seen to give in to old coping strategies to deal with the stress by drinking in private.
The reality is that Steve and Shy, despite coming from different worlds, show the extremes of those in need and how they can slip through the cracks, adults tasked with always having it together being in control, and students with their own troubles or an unstable home life and feeling like they cannot reach out to anyone or get the unlimited help they need. In the end, Steve is an ambiguous movie about the pain we carry and how much is too much for a person to carry before breaking; we all need help, but it often feels like in these trying times that those most in need are the ones that are most ignored, and that's where the cuts occur the most.
Steve overall has a strong emotional pull- its weakest quality is that outside of that character and some of the students, the world remains void of details that could make it feel even more lived in for those outside of the realm of teaching. It has a good backbone and inquisitive eye for the current and forthcoming world of education, but its ambiguity and, more so, negative (if realistic) tone leave the watcher a bit cold. One hopes that the takeaway is how important education is and acts as a cautionary tale, as opposed to a true reflection.
Nicole Cabrera is a Toronto-based film enjoyer with a passion for the eighties, horror, and deep diving their favourite actors’ obscure filmography. When they’re not watching movies, they're writing, crafting, cosplaying, going to concerts, working on their podcast (Hollywood Deepdive), and dreaming of traveling.