Steve (2025) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

2025 · 1 h 33 m · English

Echo score 71

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Directed by

Tim Mielants

Starring

Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Cillian Murphy, Youssef Kerkour, Roger Allam, Douggie McMeekin

Set in the mid‑1990s, the film reimagines Max Porter’s Sunday Times bestseller Shy and follows a pivotal day for headteacher Steve (Cillian Murphy) and his students at a last‑chance reform school abandoned by society. As the school faces imminent closure, Steve fights to preserve its integrity, confronting the harsh realities threatening both the staff and the young people under his care.