Steve

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Steve

R

Sep 2025

1h 33m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

95 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Set in the mid-90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's Sunday Times bestseller Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school's integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve's struggles, we meet Shy, a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.

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Critics Consensus

A sobering drama that throws everything along with the kitchen sink at its doggedly determined hero, Steve's pileup of crises can strain credulity but Cillian Murphy's superb performance keeps it grounded in reality.

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Craig Mathieson

The Age (Australia)

Oct 16

3/5

[Cillian Murphy's] turmoil is magnetic, but the storytelling can be explanatory and sometimes the overt technique of Belgian director Tim Mielants (Small Things Like These) is skilful but distancing.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Oct 7

3/4

Most importantly, the movie approaches the stories of these people and their challenging mission with a big, open heart, with the compassion necessary to see the value in the teens' lives instead of simply sweeping them away.

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David Fear

Rolling Stone

Oct 3

It’s handled in such a slapdash, klutzy manner, and feels so cut-rate, that you may find yourself raging alongside the movie’s youngsters. Not even Murphy can sell it.

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Thomas Caffrey

Film Ireland Magazine

Nov 14

Anchored by a dependably compelling Cillian Murphy and supported by a committed cast, it delivers some of the year’s most artful moments of cinema.

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Matthew St. Clair

Cinematic Words of a Chaotic Gemini (Substack)

Oct 30

B

The acting along with its messaging on the importance of teen mental health and feeling less alone, which especially hits home during the climax, make Steve an affecting-enough drama.

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Lisa Trifone

Third Coast Review

Oct 24

3/4

The film is at its most heartbreaking when Steve and the young men in his charge are given space to be vulnerable, something that doesn't come naturally to any of them.

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Ghederick Eshmont

Sep 30

Cillian Murphy is the preeminent actor working these days & his partnership with Tim Mielants is producing some pitch black, beautiful films

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Sal D.

@JustTheLaw 3d

Poignant story with top shelf performances translate well into a film version of the novella entitled “Shy.” Some potholes in the direction and intentional ambiguity made this a bit short of very very good filmmaking - given the plot, in this case, the ambiguity might leave the movie watcher questioning the entire story presentation. Still better than average.

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FISH T

@JellyFIsh_87 Dec 10

This is a very thought-provoking film. It's not your typical narrative-driven story; it demands a slow pace that requires the audience to reflect and gradually delve deeper. It's a film that weighs heavily on the viewer, making one feel the weight of reality, and is truly worth pondering.

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Emanuel F

Dec 5

best entrance for adolescence, i recommended this movie a every chill that i want a sugesttion for the best age

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Mate P

@matepolcz Dec 2

Steve has competent filmmaking and emotionality to make it very intriguing. The characters are pretty likeable despite or maybe because of the bipolarity of their behaviour. They are also the most realistically complex characters I've seen in a long time. Shy is the most in focus out of the kids and he is the most likeable, at least for me. The directing is good and the cinematography is great. The camera movement is really messy, but in a good way, because it translates a part of how the characters live their lives. The lighting is always really strong and contrasting. The editing is also messy, basically non-linear it an unusual way. The pacing is pretty fast and that's why this movie never felt boring. The acting performances are spectacular, Cillian Murphy delivers something that's just as good as his Oscar winning performance, but completely different. Steve is heavy, intriguing and well-paced.

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Meri S.

@mschroeder Nov 30

DNF. Just not my cup of tea.

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Steve: Trailer 2

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Synopsis

Set in the mid-90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's Sunday Times bestseller Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school's integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve's struggles, we meet Shy, a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.

Director: Tim Mielants
Producer: Cillian Murphy, Alan Moloney, Tina Pawlik
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Big Things Films
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Substance Abuse|Some Sexual Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2025
Runtime: 1h 33m

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