I used to go to many different schools growing up.  In fact, I went to four different high schools in two different states. Growing isn’t easy on kids. Especially if they had a learning disorder or chemical imbalance. I had a lot of good teachers during those different years of school. Some coaches, but some just teachers. Teachers are an important thing to kids going through a hard time or who don’t know how to channel their emotions in a positive way. Steve is a film that deals with this kind of subject matter. It’s a hard film to watch because of my past, but in the end, I was glad I watched it. Hopefully, others will feel the same way.

Steve (Cillian Murphy) Academy Award winner for his role as Richard Oppenheimer is a teacher at a reform school/ home for wayward teen boys in England called Stanton Wood. He invites a documentary film crew into the school for a day so they can interview the teachers and the kids. What they capture in the interviews and on their cameras is a group of teachers who have basically had enough and teens that are running around starting fights,causing trouble with the other students and creating chaos at every turn. They are kids basically described as special ed case students. They need constant supervision. This man Strve has dedicated his life to helping these kids, but he has his own demons he has to deal with.

The cast is filled with a lot of kids I’ve never seen before in any film or television show. They are all British, so that may be why. There are a few cast members I did know, though. Those were Stacy Ullman as Amanda, one of the teachers. She has basically had enough of these troublemakers kids. And her boss. Emily Watson plays Jenny, a counselor who has to talk to these teens in a personal way and tries to find out why they act the way they do. Jay Lucurgo plays Shy, a talented young man who doesn’t know how to use his talents in a positive way, and so he acts out all the time. He has no use for authority figures in his life. His story is heart-wrenching when he talks to the documentary film crew. The cast is fantastic in this movie. Especially the unknown kids.

As mentioned, Murphy has recently won an Oscar for Oppenheimer, a vastly different role than the one he plays in this film. He seems to be pulling himself in many different directions as this character. He has different conversations with staff members and students alike. And they all come across as meaningful and heartfelt. His own demons he has to deal with regarding a car crash he was in a few years earlier come back to haunt him. The situation is overwhelming to him, especially in one scenario in the movie that I won’t spoil but has irrevocable consequences for everybody at the school/ home. Having had a teacher similar to this in my sophomore year of high school I can relate to the struggle a man like this has to deal with regarding all of these kids and teachers who are relying on him or counting on him in some way. He was amazing in the role and proved why he deserved to win that Oscar. 

The filmmaker Tim Mielants chose to use a few different methods to tell this story. Which was written by Max Porter, the author of the novella the film was based on. The first is the most obvious, and that is the talking heads being interviewed by the filmmaker of the documentary.  These interviews give an insight into who these kids were and what they were thinking. As well as the teacher who had to work at this place.The second is using drones to film some of the scenes.One particular scene the drone was flying around in and out of the building showing teachers talking and kids playing soccer on the field.This was some damn professional cinematography if you ask me. The third thing he used was he infused the film with hectic rap music that showed the craziness that was going on at this school/home. Mailants is a talent to watch for in the future.

I’ve been around kids my whole life, whether it was my eight nieces and nephews or all the years I’ve worked at schools in various different capacities. As a maintenance man or a coach of football or basketball. I have seen all kinds of kids. Good kids and bad kids. Kids of different ages, creeds, races, and religions. No kid is born with the mindset they are going to be bad. It’s just something in their makeup. Something they inherit or a disease that they were born with that causes them to be that way. It’s sad to see kids act out or disrespect their peers, teachers, coaches, or parental figures. Sometimes, not having parents is a reason kids act out or are inherently violent. Adults who take time to care for or nurture or even coach or just talk to kids are doing lament work.This is a calling from my perspective.Just like being a police officer, fire fighter, nurse, lawyer or EMT. You want to do these jobs. They aren’t easy and the pay isn’t always good but you care about what you’re doing because you can make a difference in young people’s lives.That is what other films like Lean on Me. Short Term 12 and Stand and Deliver have shown on the big screen. Being a teacher matters but also the youth of our country matter even if they are bad kids. This movie makes that evidently clear to me.

Steve is a character study of a man who has done everything he could for a school/home for wayward boys. He tries to show the world that these kids matter and that the work he and others are doing is important. Even if government officials and rich people don’t think so. The kids in the film all played incredibly well. I didn’t know most of them, but that made me care more. The cast members I did know all did a great job, especially Murphy. He could have phoned it in, following his Oscar win, but he didn’t. He does what he always does, and that is he gave a damn good performance. The different filmmaking styles helped give this movie a specific craziness that went in line with what was going on at this school/ home. Hopefully, people will watch this film and give a hug to their own children. Showing they care and love them. That’s what kids need.

Steve will be streaming on Netflix Oct 3rd

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen