Ivan Radford | On 12, Oct 2025

Director: Tim Mielants
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, Joshua J Parker, Luke Ayres, Roger Allam
Certificate: 15

Angry and bored. Very, very tired. Those are the three words that Shy (Jay Lycurgo) and Steve (Cillian Murphy) each use to describes themselves at the start of Steve. Based on Max Porter’s 2023 novella Shy, the film is a snapshot of life at a school for boys with behavioural problems – and Steve is the headteacher attempting to keep it all together.

The shift in title from book to screen is a revealing one, as it leans into the star presence of Murphy. But it also adds an emotional layer to an already emotionally stacked situation: Steve, we soon learn, is just as troubled as the pupils he’s hoping to help.

We begin with a close-up on him as he takes part in a to-camera interview, and that unflinching scrutiny doesn’t let up for the next 90 minutes. The to-camera interview is for a documentary crew who are filming a TV segment about the school. It’s bad timing for the school, but a perfect one for us, as it allows us opportunity to get to know each member of staff – and a fair number of students – in their own words.

Focused, dedicated and flexible. That’s how Shola (Simbi Ajikawo, aka Little Simz) sums herself up. One of the newer teachers, she’s the subject of abuse from one of the boys, a challenge that’s made harder by the lack of support she gets from Steve. Steve, of course, is all too aware of that shortcoming – what quickly becomes apparent is that he’s all too aware of all the flaws, mistakes and cracks in the school’s fragile structure, and constantly feels the pressure that weighs down upon it.

All this comes to a head in a riveting, heart-wrenching 24 hours that unfold almost in real time, as the documentary crew’s visit is also accompanied by an unexpected appearance from an arrogant, out-of-touch MP (the deliciously unctuous Roger Allam) and a worrying update from the people funding and overseeing this experimental educational endeavour.

Tracey Ullman and Emily Watson are excellent as Amanda, Steve’s focused, straight-talking deputy, and Jenny, the school’s sympathetic counsellor. There’s a unified feeling of being stretched to breaking point that the cast balance with the lived-in chemistry of colleagues who are collectively up against it.

They’re matched every step of the way by an equally phenomenal ensemble of young actors. Joshua J Parker, in particular, is magnetic as Riley, a hot-headed young man who is a bundle of uncontainable energy waiting to unravel at any moment – often in the direction of Jamie (the brilliant Luke Ayres), who’s smart but equally capable of kicking off. They bounce off each other with electricity and wit, whether it’s trading verbal blows or more physical threats, and director Tim Mielants does a remarkable job of creating a naturalistic environment in which it feels anything can happen.

At the heart of it all is Cillian Murphy as Steve. A grounded, quiet but permanently restless force, he’s as passionate about his work as he is tormented by it, always mindful that this is the last stop for young people society has left behind long ago and simply doesn’t know what to do with. His drug and alcohol problems are an open secret with the staff, but that doesn’t stop him sliding down to rock bottom himself, as he blames himself not only for the potential failure of the school but of past pain in his own life. The result is a teacher who is more frayed and frazzled than most (which is saying something), a man who is in permanent crisis mode. It’s a heartbreaking performance of vulnerability and the impact of not vocalising his own needs for help and support.

In that, he has lots in common with Shy. Jay Lycurgo gives a remarkable, nuanced and mature performance as the quiet boy whose mother tells him early on that she doesn’t want anything to do with him any more. It’s a blow that leaves him questioning where his home, where his safe place, is – a question that also haunts Steve, who has become consumed by his impossible vocation. There is despair, hurt and loss simmering under the surface, visibly sending the camera off-kilter as the film’s two cornerstones begin to sink – but there is hope, too, as well as warmth, friendship and connection. What a profoundly moving piece of storytelling this is.

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