Steve Review: A 24-Hour Battle for Burned-Out Teachers
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Steve is the head of Stanton Wood, a sprawling “reform” college for troubled youth that’s barely hanging by a thread. When Steve’s deputy is asked about the work, she candidly admits, “It’s exhausting, complicated, demanding work, and it’s destroying us. We are underpaid, understaffed, and chronically under-resourced.” Yet, she adds that despite all its challenges, she adores the young men they’re trying to teach. A sentiment Steve echoes.
Created by director Tim Mielants and writer Max Porter, the 2025 film stars Cillian Murphy (‘Oppenheimer’, ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘A Quiet Place 2’) as the titular Steven. In a frenzied 90 minutes, the story unfolds over a single chaotic day at Stanton Wood, where a TV crew arrives to film a feature on the struggling institution. Unfortunately, the so-called “students”, a volatile mix of aggressive young men, seem to be on their absolute worst behavior. Actors Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, Simbi Ajikawo, and Youssef Kerkour plays Steve’s colleagues at the college.
The primary drama centers around Steve’s struggle to keep Stanton Wood running, as he quietly grapples with his own mental health struggles. Jay Lycurgo plays deuteragonist Shy, one of the young students, introduced in the very first minute, listening to music, having a good time, but as the day progresses, he hears some disturbing news from home and begins to unravel.
The film uses the perspective of a meddling TV crew to frame much of its narrative, lending it the texture of a behind-the-scenes documentary. As the crew moves from person to person, asking deceptively simple questions like “How would you define yourself in three words?”, the film quietly reveals flashes of each character’s inner world. Steve’s own reply – “very, very tired” – lands with both humor and heartbreak.
Gritty, intense, and unrelenting, Steve delivers a visceral portrayal of how draining and thankless a teacher’s life can be when faced with volatile, neglected youth. The film’s pace and tone are so immersive that the audience is likely to feel the same exhaustion its characters endure. I was freaking stressed while watching it.
Yet, for all its realism, the film stumbles in its depiction of the students’ supposed redeeming qualities. We keep hearing how they’re misunderstood or capable of change, but all we see are outbursts, insults, and violence on repeat. The film forgets the simplest rule of storytelling: show, don’t tell. Occasionally, the relentless string of crises feels too neatly stacked, like the creators were determined to pack an entire school year’s worth of disasters into one exhausting day.
On the other hand, the film stirs deep compassion for the burned-out teachers of Stanton Wood, all of whom genuinely care for the boys in their charge. Cillian Murphy is excellent as the weary yet steadfast Steve, running on fumes but still radiating empathy. It’s never explained why he keeps giving so much of himself, but perhaps that’s the essence of teaching: the ability to nurture hope where most would only see trouble.
Rating: 7 on 10. Watch ‘Steve’ on Netflix.
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