When we first meet the title character in Tim Mielants’ chaotic drama “Steve,” he’s sitting down for a recorded interview about Stanton Wood, the private reform school for teenage boys where he serves as head teacher. With a heavy sigh, Steve (Cillian Murphy), who has devoted his life, blood, sweat and tears to the academy, lets the audience know exactly how he feels at this very moment.
“Steve” had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received a warm reception from festivalgoers who might have expected a film that resembles “Dangerous Minds” or “Dead Poets Society.” What they got instead was a lesson in humility at a school that isn’t lucky enough to have inspirational figures like Michelle Pfeiffer or Robin Williams converting delinquent students into civil members of society. Instead, they have a secret alcoholic and possible drug addict dealing with the weight of a reform school on his shoulders while attempting to forget his past mistakes on the way to a potential better future as an educator.
Murphy plays Steve with vigor and determination, though there’s an underlying issue at hand that isn’t clear from the outset. As head teacher, Steve is the boss of an all-boys school dedicated to the rehabilitation of Britain’s rebellious youth. On one particularly frantic Thursday, Stanton Wood is invaded by a film crew looking to make a documentary about the school — and expose it to UK taxpayers who might wish their money was spent elsewhere.
Along with his Deputy, Amanda (a markedly subdued Tracey Ullman), Steve runs the school and everyone who resides there full-time. The dormitories are stacked with uncleaned rooms, the classrooms are in total disarray, and the large student body seems to have the run of a school in desperate need of a mental health renovation.
At the center of the action is Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a teenager who spends his mornings getting stoned and dancing in a field before the school day begins. Shy is cut off from his family, bullied by his classmates, and must now deal with a filmmaking team hellbent on revealing all of the cracks within Stanton Wood’s walls.
When asked the pivotal question posed to all the students in the documentary within the film, “Describe yourself in three words,” Shy’s answer is the unfortunate, “Depressed, angry, and bored.”
The young actors who make up the campus community at Stanton Wood create a disorderly and violent environment in “Steve,” a film that isn’t exactly sure what its message is. A reinterpretation of the novel “Shy” by Max Porter, Mielants’ movie takes place over the course of one day and night at Stanton Wood. But while the film’s perspective is Steve’s, it would benefit the audience more to stick to Shy’s viewpoint instead.
Shy and Steve are handling their own internal battles separately, Shy by signifying to the outside world his suicidal ambitions, and Steve resorting to the bottle between classes. Both are preoccupied with their next course of action, yet if they communicated their troubles frequently and openly to those around them who care, they might find solace in each other’s company. This school needs a good kick in the ass, but Steve, while well-intentioned, is clearly not the man for the job anymore.
Similarly, “Steve” is a powerful film with emotional performances from Murphy and Lycurgo, specifically, but it never rises to its own ambitions. Tim Mielants’ direction, though chaotic and messy by design, spirals out of control with sweeping camera movements and extended oners that don’t seem to serve the story.
An impending permanent school closure wreaks havoc on the hearts and minds of Steve, Amanda, and the rest of Stanton Woods’ teachers. The young actors who play the antagonizing students make for a great ensemble, bringing levity to a dire situation, all caught on film for the documentarians visiting their school to put on record. But “Steve,” despite its principled ideas and the disarray they cause, never reaches the potential for inspiration, nor does it try to be that kind of film.
Instead, the audience at TIFF was surprised to learn that some lectures don’t come with a meaningful lesson in the end. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, they come with outstanding performances from lead actors amidst a loud, discombobulated premise, unsure of its point of view. Flawed, yes, but ever so powerful by the time the credits roll.
The film will be streamed globally on Netflix starting October 3.
