Cillian Murphy superb in gritty reform school drama Steve

Film review: Steve - seen on Netflix

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Little Simz and Jay Lycurgo

Director: Tim Mielants Run time: One hour, 33 minutes

There has been a lot of criticism this year of the glut of ‘Made for Netflix’ films, with the streaming giant accused of putting algorithms and demographics before plot and substance.

That’s definitely not the case, though, with this gritty, sometimes bleak but ultimately uplifting movie made by Cillian Murphy’s production company Big Things Films and also starring the Irishman.

Based on the Max Porter novel Shy, Steve is set in 1995 and follows a day in the life of the eponymous head teacher, battling to keep his understaffed and badly funded reform college open while also keeping his mental health and addictions in check.

At the same time, troubled student Shy (Jay Lycurgo) navigates his violent tendencies and fragility, torn between his past and future prospects and heartbreakingly cut off by his parents.

And while all this is going on, a TV crew is at the school, filming a short piece for a current affairs programme. Interviews with staff and students are interspersed throughout the film - some are funny, some bleak.

If you thought Murphy was impressive in Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer, he raises his acting to another level here, portraying likeability, vulnerability, anxiety and love superbly.

His relationships with the troubled boys in his care and the overworked staff who would jump through hoops for him, despite his obvious frailties, are astonishingly realistic and warming.

The main relationship, however, is with 16-year-old Shy, and he is played brilliantly by Lycurgo. There are also impressive performances from Tracey Ullman and Little Simz.

It’s not an easy watch, and the chaos, volume and mayhem of a reform school come out loud and clear. But it’s a superbly produced and acted film and well worth 93 minutes of anyone’s time.

Rating: 9/10

By Jeremy Ransome