Cillian Murphy Brings Raw Humanity to TIFF-Bound Steve

Oscar winner Cillian Murphy is set to return to the big screen in Steve, a tense, darkly funny mid-’90s-set drama premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival before its September 19 limited theatrical release and October 3 debut on Netflix. Produced by Murphy’s Big Things Films in collaboration with Netflix, the film reunites the actor with longtime creative partners and promises a layered exploration of personal and institutional fragility.

A Story of Survival and Self-Reckoning

Based on Max Porter’s 2023 novella Shy, Steve takes place over a single pivotal day in a last-chance boys’ reform school. Murphy plays Steve, the embattled headteacher fighting to preserve both the school’s integrity and his own mental health as political and economic pressures threaten closure. Alongside him, troubled teenager Shy (Jay Lycurgo) teeters between self-destruction and the possibility of change. The narrative is framed by a visiting documentary crew, their cameras capturing the chaos and tenderness of a community on the brink — a structure that Porter says also acts as a sharp commentary on today’s political landscape.

Familiar Collaborators, Fresh Challenges

Murphy’s creative circle remains tight-knit. He has worked extensively with director Tim Mielants since Peaky Blinders and collaborated with Porter on stage (Grief Is the Thing with Feathers) and screen (All of This Unreal Time). Emily Watson, a co-star in Big Things Films’ debut feature Small Things Like These, returns here, joined by Tracey Ullman in a rare dramatic turn and musician-actor Simbi Ajikawo (Little Simz). Murphy also builds new on-screen chemistry with Lycurgo, who will appear in the forthcoming Peaky Blinders movie.

Inside Murphy’s Performance

Murphy describes Steve as living in a “jangled state of anxiety,” a man pulled between protecting his students and confronting his own unraveling. The actor-producer says he’s drawn to telling “tough stories that still entertain,” balancing bleak realities with flashes of humor and human connection. Mielants’ direction amplifies that tension, refusing to let the audience — or the characters — off the hook.

With Steve, Murphy continues his streak of intimate, emotionally charged projects, using the TIFF stage not just to showcase star power, but to spark conversation about empathy, resilience, and the systems that fail those who need them most.

If you want, I can also prepare an op-ed style companion piece that digs into Steve’s political undertones and its reflection of current educational crises.