Steve
Introduction
In a scene in the new English film Steve, a character asks the protagonist Steve (Cillian Murphy) on which are the three words that best describes him. The answer is a quick retort – ‘Very Very Tired’, even as Steve nervously breaks into a smile. Steve formulates a group of noble teachers that are tasked with taking care of a bunch of violent children at a special school in UK. At the start of the film, you see Steve jostling to work, almost anticipating a long day ahead. On his arrival, you see a couple of the students Jamie and Riley at logger heads with each other, Tarone being in the mix of provocation and Shy immersing himself in a fit of hard metallic music. It is Steve who has to calm the boys down and reassure them of her identities of peace-loving children, even while severely being a fractured individual himself dealing with a guilt of his own, and waging a long drawn battle that refuses to end at any point. It is a type of a lose-lose situation packaged in a daily routine that Steve has been silently enduring for years – often being underpaid, undervalued but still continuing it for the sake of his noble profession, and the empathy that he wishes to showcase to the boys around him. And yet, it is One Battle After Another for Steve, that often tests his resilience.
Story & Screenplay
Set in the year 1996 in UK, the fractured representation of the society in the movie Steve, is showcased in the form of a series of events that transpires at the local school Stanton Wood, that houses a bunch of violent and depressed young souls that are essentially rejected by the society. For instance, there is a documentary crew that is only interested in creating a sensation for their own benefits, by carelessly uttering on how the British taxpayers’ money is literally wasted in a place ss Stanton Wood, while showcasing the antics of the students in bad light. Their motivation is opposite to that of the teachers (Steve and Amanda to name a few), who are literally putting their blood and sweat on the line to make a difference to the society – and in a bid to make an impact with respect to the lives of the children. There is a faint political commentary to consume somewhere – wherein most of us sit on the sidelines to comment on the shortcomings of the system, as opposed to getting into the thick of things to make an impact. I hear you – a line reminiscent of the same sentiment in Rang De Basanti (2006).
One of the interesting aspects of the drama remains the characterization of the boys, particularly Shy (Jay Lycurgo), who would describe himself as ‘Angry and Bored’. Shy represents one of the many boys who have been abandoned by the society (including their loved ones), so much so that they are left with only two options – either to be wild and violent like Jamie and Riley, or be detached and indifferent like Shy. In more than one occasions, you see Shy withdrawn from his bunch, quietly sitting and immersing himself in hard rock music that doubles up as a state of escapism. In another, you see him staring at a frame in the classroom – a picturesque holiday destination, that acts as a medium of hope to keep him going. But the question remains on how hard can be try and escape his reality when his own mother parts ways with him. Hence, the unpredictability of the character comes across in an instance involving a local MP who visits the school for a byte, wherein Shy gives him a earfull much to the dismay of Steve. This, or even admitting to stabbing his stepfather’s finger in a rather non-chalant manner.
The plight of the teachers goes hand-in-hand with the central conflict of the drama that is related to shutting the operations of the school. You see most of the teachers here as noble but fractured souls, enduring their pain in a bid for hope, in a circle that is viscious as ever. A subplot includes a new teacher Shola (Simbi Ajikawo) having to deal with s*xual advances at the hands of her student, while still having to continue knitting the strands of her noble profession. It is the kind of dichotomy that every teacher is enduring, including Steve himself who is dealing with the guilt of killing a young girl during a car accident that he was a part of. It is ironic how the school remain a medium of hope for them – wherein each of them would channelize their pain into something substantial, but if there was no school, the future of everyone involved would be uncertain, even as the long-term risk would be that to the society that clearly no one cares about.
And this is where the vulnerability of Steve is reflected along the way. Initially, you see him jittery in front of the camera, breaking into a nervous smile every now and then – something that itself tells you a story or two. And yet, you see a violent streak in his character that punching the wall or smashes the table on hearing the news about the fate of the school. The drama here is based on Max Porter’s novel Shy, but the gaze here is adapted to that of Steve, not because the writing deliberately wishes to shift its gaze towards hope. It is a way of signalling how Steve and Shy are the same people who are fractured, while reacting differently to the situation within the four walls of the room. Shy doesn’t shy away from reacting in front of everyone, but Steve’s frustration reflects only in isolation or in the presence of people that he is comfortable with. In a scene when his colleague Amanda tells Steve that the whole burden doesn’t need to be shouldered by him, you understand the plight of his character drowned in depression and an occasional bottle of alcohol, while having to deal with dificult situations day in and day out. Guess, not all superheroes wear capes!
The final act here is a symbol of hope in so many ways, even as you witness Shy filling his bag with stones in order to commit suicide by drowning in a lake. Or Steve trying his best to stall the event while stumbling at a point. And yet, a little montage tells us on how the ‘sink-in-the-water’ did not transpire – being metaphor for hope that triumphed over the amalgamation of difficulties that arose for each of the many character (read : stones in the bag). At a point, you see all characters hugging each other, almost signalling the end of a long night, or perhaps a momentary win that propels them to fight another day. Perhaps, it was the will to live again….Perhaps, it was a final try before giving up….Perhaps, it was momentary attachment…Perhaps, it was the picturesque holiday destination hanging on a frame in the classroom….
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational while conveying the plight of the characters along the way. The use of raw sounds in the form of noise adds to the texture of the drama while creating an immersive ambience of the drama that unfolds. Even the cinematography comprises of shaky frames that epitomizes the chaos that ensues in the disorienting minds of various characters, almost creating a case of the first person conflict through the frames. In fact, the frames reminded me of the show Adolescence, particularly in a sequence that employs an aerial shot of measured chaos in the rainy outfield of the football field before relaying back into the classroom, almost signalling a case in point of walls of the school narrowing the psyche of the characters. The frames are psychological in many ways while representing the restless minds of the characters efficiently. And yet at the end when all characters hug, there is stillness in the frame signalling a sliver of hope!
The editing pattern uses time as a dimension accurately to account for various instances that occur during the day. This, while merging into the grey and grim world of the drama, and allowing the pain of the characters to reflect in every instance, and in the same moment. Director Tim Mielants does an incredible job in constructing a drama that reeks of its disorienting intentions through its characters. It is a world that is extremely repulsive, and while most of us would account for a similar central event in our lives, Tim creates a demarcation that allows you to assess on how this extraordinary feat remains a daily routine for his characters. There is a purpose to his craft using vulnerability and chaos as a tool for depression, while allowing you to peek into the psyche of the characters. The direction is powerful and brilliantly impactful here.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Luke Ayres as Jamie and Douggie McMeekin as Andy have their moments to shine representing youth who are marginalized and sidelined from the society. Little Simz as Shola is sincere and earnest, as is Tracey Ullman as Amanda who upholds the integrity of her character with an understated performance. Jay Lycurgo as Shy is an unpredictable character withdrawn from the society, immersed in his hard-rock inducing earphones and living with a sliver of hope for a better future. And Jay nails these indifferent emotions wonderfully throughout the course of the drama.
Cillian Murphy delivers one of the performances of a lifetime as Steve. He is gentle but vulnerable, almost being an extension of his students in terms of his ‘closet’ behavior, while wanting them to improve on the same aspect. A fractured soul suffering from depression, he uses his students as a medium for escapism, so much so that he is a part of them. No wonder that even his students warm up to him like their elder brother, a relationship that is symbiotic. Murphy uses these varied emotions while packaging his understated performance in a medium of hope while brilliantly conveying the thoughts in his psyche. This is an acting masterclass of the highest order, in a performance that stays with you long after the film has ended.
Conclusion
Steve utilizes chaos as a disorienting form of depression and vulnerability in a drama depicting life as “One Battle After Another”, making for a brilliantly pondering watch. Available on Netflix & Highly Recommended!