Netflix’s new drama movie, “Steve,” reunites Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy with director Tim Mielants, marking their second collaboration following last year’s unflinching but deeply tender “Small Things Like These.” The duo’s second project may not quite hit the same high notes, though Murphy’s leading performance is just as vital, but this is no sophomore slump.
As a small-scale movie, based on Max Porter’s 2023 novel “Shy” (the author adapts his own source material here), “Steve” probably isn’t going to be a No. 1 smash hit for the streaming service. It lacks the broad appeal of Netflix’s blockbuster originals, and its solid but unspectacular critical reception suggests that it’s unlikely to be a major player come awards season. I could totally see “Steve” getting a bit lost in the vastness of Netflix’s movie library.
However, this would be an undeserved fate. While “Steve” struggles to bring its constantly escalating chaos to a truly cathartic conclusion, Murphy gives another powerhouse performance, and there’s enough humor and heart here to keep you invested across its relatively trim runtime. Here’s why this new Netflix drama movie deserves to be on your watchlist this week.
What is ‘Steve’ about?
Set in the 1990s, this drama, directed by Tim Mielants and based on Max Porter’s best-selling novel “Shy,” follows the eponymous Steve (Cillian Murphy), the principal of a state-funded reform school, over the course of a draining and intense 24 hours.
The all-boys school is full of pupils that society has given up on, but Steve sees the untapped potential in his students. He's desperate to steer them onto the right path and ensure they are given the chance to succeed as they grow into adults — even if they fight his guidance every step of the way.
During an unrelenting day, Steve faces various hurdles, including a TV crew showing up to film a documentary about the school, a visit from a local government minister, and a meeting with a board member who threatens to close the educational institution. All the while, Steve is battling his own personal demons that are mirrored in the troubled youths in his care.
Should you stream ‘Steve’ on Netflix?
Porter’s original novel was named for its protagonist, Shy (played here by Jay Lycurgo), a troubled adolescent boy attending the English reform school. However, the Netflix movie shifts the primary focus to the school’s headteacher, Steve, and I would guess that this narrative decision was made because of Cillian Murphy’s involvement.
It’s a shrewd call, and Murphy is very much the glue holding this movie together. Much like in “Small Things Like These,” his performance is less showy than the likes of “Oppenheimer,” but it’s no less remarkable. Murphy’s ability to emote, even without words, is second to none, and as the movie progresses and Steven’s own struggles bubble up, Murphy is electric.
Which isn’t to say that Shy’s role has been greatly diminished. We get a deeper insight into multiple pupils at the school, as well as the staff under Steve’s leadership, but Shy takes the spotlight most often, particularly in the third act. Lycurgo works with some tricky material, delivering a rough-around-the-edges character who you can’t help but root for all the same.
From the start, “Steve” is consumed by chaos. After a talking heads intro, viewers are immediately thrown into the mayhem that engulfs the reform school. Between a TV crew setting up to shoot for a TV news segment, the boys fighting to show off on camera (which quickly breaks out into an actual fistfight), and Steve trying (and largely failing) to bring a sense of order, the movie instantly bursts into life with a real manic energy.
This speed is kept up for pretty much the entire 90-minute runtime, with only a few quieter moments offering some breathing room. It’s intentionally hectic, and while it might take you a beat or two to get your bearings (and some American viewers might struggle to decipher a few of the strong English accents), it’s gloriously chaotic and thematically appropriate.
Where the movie struggles is in bringing all this mayhem to a boiling point. The third act dabbles in the surreal (to mixed results; an extended drone-shot sequence left my head spinning, and not in a good way) and tackles some heavy themes, including suicide and addiction. Unfortunately, the emotions never quite hit fever pitch. “Steve” isn’t the sort of movie that requires a grand monologue, but I would have loved a true gut-punch moment.
Even with its imperfections, “Steve” is still a thoughtful drama, anchored by another phenomenal performance from Cillian Murphy in a career full of them. The Irish actor’s work is reason enough to watch. It may not offer up any easy answers to the problems its characters face, and the absence of a firm resolution will disappoint viewers craving a neat bow on proceedings, but that lack of closure seems intentional and reflective of life itself.
“Steve” may not be another crowd-pleaser for Netflix subscribers seeking a breezy time-filler, but it’s a reminder that underneath its algorithm-targeting originals, the platform does also make room for more artistic efforts, and for that I’m thankful. But if “Steve” doesn’t sound quite to your viewing taste, here’s a rundown of everything new on Netflix in October 2025.
Stream "Steve" on Netflix now
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