TIFF 2025: Cillian Murphy’s Steve is a dour, dark delight

The first actor to ever win two consecutive Oscars didn’t exactly break the mould to do so.

Spencer Tracy snagged his first trophy for the 1937 sleeper hit Captains Courageous — a Rudyard Kipling adaptation starring Tracy as a questionably accented Portuguese fisherman, forced to care for and educate a belligerent youngster — a youngster who, it turns out, wants and needs nothing more desperately than a velvet-glove father-figure to thrive under.

Then the next year he followed it up with Boys Town — a movie based on a true story about a Catholic priest so self-sacrificing, he founded an entire boarding school (still in operation today) for misbegotten street kids with nowhere else to go.

It was a tale apparently so affecting that in his acceptance speech, Tracy himself claimed the Oscar shouldn’t go to him but to the real-life Father Flanagan — to whom he ended up giving the statue anyway.

So when asking why a movie like Steve exists, or why we might be drawn to watching it, there’s a long track record to pull from. Though unlike Boys Town, the new Cillian Murphy flick — having just had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before an Oct. 3 release on Netflix — isn’t drawn directly from real life.

WATCH | Steve trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L8intrDcM0

Steve | Official Trailer | Netflix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L8intrDcM0)

Instead, it’s a “reinterpretation” of Max Porter’s novella/prose poem Shy, the evocative, esoteric and at-times just odd book about a teenager at a school for troubled youth.

Dealing with themes of depression and abuse in a layered and experimental text (a documentary being made about the school and Shy’s own violent thoughts and dreams are alternatively represented through contrasting fonts and full-page spreads), Shy already seems like a novel resistant to adaptation. Coupled with the additional changes made by Belgian director Tim Mielants (Small Things Like These, which also starred Murphy) and Porter (onboard as screenwriter), the challenges only seem to mount.

Steve — as its title might suggest — tells the same borstal boy story but from a different angle. Instead of following the eponymous enraged teen stuck at the floridly named Stanton Wood, we now follow its endlessly self-flagellating head.

Here, that’s Cillian Murphy as Steve — a sad-eyed, heart-of-gold headmaster/mentor type simultaneously trying to keep a British publicly funded school for youthful offenders open while frantically trying to avoid a fist in the teeth from any one of them.

That’s made all the more difficult as the aforementioned documentary crew quizzes the kids on their deepest traumas. Their repeated prompt of “Describe yourself in three words” garners responses various enough to forecast the film’s erratic mood — from Riley’s “Cornish legend, hardcore and cheeky” to Shy’s “depressed, angry and bored” to Steve’s simple “very, very tired.”

But as Steve bats away the cameras poking their way through the boys’ dresser drawers, things proceed to fully go off the rails when he gets the news he’s been dreading: Due to ballooning costs and a sinking reputation, Stanton Wood is set to close in six months.

A man signs autographs to a group of people standing behind a barricade. — Cillian Murphy signs autographs at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Steve, outside the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto on Friday. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)

What that means for its pupils — especially Shy, careening headlong into a violent pit of despair and loneliness from which he may never escape — is unfortunately not hard to guess.

In terms of execution, Steve is in league with a veritable ocean of “Angry Boys In Fictional Last Chance Institution” type films, and it makes sense why.

From America’s Bless the Beasts and Children or Short Term 12, U.K.’s Made in Britain or Scum and Canada’s 10-1/2 or Dog Pound, to modern classics like The Holdovers or even Holes, there’s something perpetually irresistible to writers and audiences about this type of character and situation — watching strong-willed (if poorly mannered) youths railing pointlessly against the crushing horror of being alive, instead of submitting to routine and comforting numbness like the rest of us.

Authentic, impressionistic

In that regard, Steve is firing on all cylinders. The cast of disaffected kids who director Mielants came up with put The Breakfast Club to shame, while newcomer Jay Lycurgo’s turn as Shy is heartbreaking in its authenticity. Murphy is no one to shake a stick at either, with his steadfast dedication to the school — paired with an unsteady foundation for his own mental health — grounding the film around them.

But like the novella, Steve is an inherently impressionistic movie. Pseudo-archival documentary footage and talking head interviews are interspersed with shaky cam realism and even a music video-like drone sequence. Perspectives shift wildly from character to character as well, painting a picture more of the school as a place than any one person’s story — or even attempting to tell a traditional story at all.

Even more than its source material, Steve‘s storytelling style is reminiscent of something novelistic; more than a straight plot, it builds the feeling of being a lost boy as confused and scared of your reactions as those you react to. Just like Paul Murray’s Skippy Dies painted the picture of a boarding school tragedy through the interconnecting lives of its many attendees, Steve maps how the many tendrils of trauma can form long and confused branches from long-forgotten moments.

But where that book built its schema over roughly 700 pages, Steve pinballs from terrifying backstory to high school banter to shattered glass and heartache in the space of 90 minutes.

The effect is at times beautiful, though at limited other points lacklustre: The late reveals of Steve’s pathos feel oddly tacked on given how many other narrative balls the film needs to juggle. And the emotionally brutal conclusion to Shy’s arc hits far harder when his story is given our full attention. Simply unpacking it takes up nearly half of the novella; in the film, it’s almost just a slightly maudlin, overwrought afterthought.

But that doesn’t detract from what we came here for, from what makes us return to these stories again and again: the endlessly interesting set-up of young men horrified by the endlessly bleak outlook of real life battering them down, and the well-intentioned but impossible task of explaining how the world ain’t really that bad.

Two teenager boys stand separate by a woman with her arms on each of their chests. — Jay Lycurgo, left, appears as Shy in a scene from the movie Steve. The main character in the novella upon which Steve is based, Shy becomes a supporting player in the Netflix adaptation. (Robert Viglasky/Netflix)

It is probably so interesting because it makes an infinite amount of sense to us: the immeasurable pain and inherent unfairness of it all is not all an illusion. Even though the way to survive is to ignore that, maybe there’s a bit of vicarious thrill in seeing the punk-rock male loneliness personification bust up some windows — or call members of Parliament eminently British cusses right to their faces.

And it is certainly cathartic to watch someone selflessly take on the task of trying to convince them it’s all going to be OK. While it’s a trope so easily and often exploited its likely most widely known as a subject of derision on South Park, it’s still worth returning to when done well. Steve may not be perfect, but none of us are. If we were, we wouldn’t need the movie.

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Multi-Vehicle Crash in Ocala Temporarily Closes Roads, Police Say | Miami Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Ocala police responded to a multi-vehicle crash Sunday night that temporarily blocked traffic at a busy intersection.

The August 23, 2026 collision occurred at South Pine Avenue and Southeast 17th Street. Authorities said no one involved suffered life-threatening injuries.

What Happened in the Ocala Multi-Vehicle Crash?

According to the Ocala Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of South Pine Avenue and Southeast 17th Street at approximately 10 p.m. Sunday.

Multiple vehicles were involved in the collision.

The crash blocked the roadways while police and emergency personnel responded to the scene. Authorities later confirmed that the roads had reopened.

Police said there were no life-threatening injuries among the people involved.

Officials have not released additional information regarding the number of vehicles or people involved.

Cause of the Crash Has Not Been Released

Authorities have not provided details about what caused the collision or the sequence of events leading up to it.

Multi-vehicle crashes can be particularly complicated because investigators may need to determine how the initial collision occurred and whether it triggered additional impacts.

Depending on the circumstances, investigators may examine vehicle positions and damage, roadway evidence, witness statements, traffic or surveillance camera footage and electronic data from the vehicles.

No citations or determinations regarding responsibility have been publicly announced.

Determining Fault in a Multi-Vehicle Accident

Liability can become complicated when several vehicles are involved in the same crash.

For example, one driver’s actions could cause an initial collision that pushes another vehicle into a third. In other circumstances, multiple drivers may have independently contributed to the accident.

Investigators may consider whether drivers were speeding, following too closely, distracted, impaired, failing to yield or otherwise violating traffic laws.

The available information does not indicate that any of these factors contributed to Sunday’s Ocala crash.

Although police reported no life-threatening injuries, people involved in motor vehicle accidents can sometimes experience symptoms that become more noticeable in the hours or days following a collision.

Depending on the force and circumstances of a crash, injuries may involve the neck, back, head, shoulders or other areas of the body.

Medical documentation can also become important if an injured person later needs to establish that treatment and expenses resulted from the collision.

Potential Compensation After a Florida Multi-Vehicle Crash

When another driver’s negligence causes an accident, an injured person may potentially have the right to seek compensation for accident-related losses.

Depending on the circumstances and severity of the injuries, recoverable damages may include medical expenses, lost income, future treatment costs, pain and suffering, and other losses available under Florida law.

Florida’s modified comparative negligence system can become particularly relevant in multi-vehicle accidents because responsibility may potentially be divided among more than one person.

The existence and value of any claim depend on the specific facts of the collision and the injuries involved.

Insurance Issues Can Be More Complicated With Multiple Vehicles

Crashes involving several vehicles can also involve multiple insurance policies.

Determining available coverage may require identifying each vehicle’s owner and driver, applicable liability policies and the role each vehicle played in the collision.

Florida’s no-fault insurance system can also affect how certain medical expenses and lost wages are initially handled following an accident.

For people who suffer more serious injuries, identifying every potentially responsible party and available source of insurance coverage can become especially important.

Preserving Evidence After a Multi-Vehicle Accident

Evidence from the scene can help determine how a chain-reaction or multi-vehicle collision occurred.

Potentially relevant evidence may include:

Photographs and videos from the crash scene
Vehicle damage and final resting positions
Witness statements
Traffic and surveillance camera footage
Dash-camera recordings
Tire marks and roadway debris
Electronic vehicle data
Police reports
Medical and emergency response records

Surveillance footage from nearby businesses can sometimes be overwritten relatively quickly, making timely preservation particularly important when the circumstances of a collision are disputed.

Roadways Reopen Following Ocala Crash

The intersection of South Pine Avenue and Southeast 17th Street has reopened following Sunday night’s multi-vehicle collision.

Ocala police said the crash occurred at approximately 10 p.m. and temporarily blocked the roadways while authorities responded.

No life-threatening injuries were reported. Officials have not released further information about what caused the crash or how many vehicles were involved.

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MLB Players’ Weekend 2026 Bats, Gear From Julio Rodriguez, Elly De La Cruz, More Revealed in Photos

Spider-Man, Star Wars, Skittles and Ninja Turtles, oh my!

This weekend is MLB Players’ Weekend, which allows players across the league to express their interests through their bats, gloves and cleats on the field.

It gives fans a unique glance at what the players like and is all for a charitable cause.

Here’s a look at some of the most notable looks from Julio Rodríguez, Cam Schlittler and more:

While the bats and gloves are interesting on their own, it is also for a good cause. Fans will have the chance to win the gear through MLB Auctions with the proceeds going to the charitable benefit of the players’ choice.

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Simi Valley football coach fired after kicking ball into student player’s groin during practice

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SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) — A high school football coach in Simi Valley was fired after a video surfaced showing him kicking a ball into a student athlete’s groin during a recent practice session.

After reviewing the incident, the Simi Valley Unified School District decided to fire Adam Brubaker as the football coach of Royal High School. The firing happened just hours before the school’s season-opening game Friday.

A school campus camera recorded the incident and Eyewitness News obtained the video. It appears to show a visibly upset Brubaker advancing toward a player and suddenly kicking a nearby football, striking the player in the groin and causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

“I kicked the ball and it hit him in the groin area and instantly I felt like I was going to pass out,” Brubaker told Eyewitness News. “I feel obviously a great deal of remorse for what happened. It’s a one in a million shot.”

Brubaker said the incident captured on video was an accident. He added that he became upset after one of the players violently pulled a running back to the ground, something he says is not allowed during drills because of risk of injury.

The video also shows other adults confronting the coach as they tend to the player.

Brubaker says he was not aiming at the player.

“When we finished practice, I went back over to him. I apologized,” Brubaker said.

A statement provided to Royal High School football families by the school’s principal on Friday says:

“I want to provide you with an update regarding our football program. The District has completed its review of the incident from earlier this week. As a result, the leadership of Royal High School’s football program will immediately change. Cody MacArthur will serve as Head Coach for the Royal High School football team tonight. An interim head coach will be named shortly. Our focus now is to support our student-athletes, provide stability for the program, and help the team move forward together. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding throughout this process and look forward to supporting our players and coaches for the remainder of the season. Go Highlanders!”

Brubaker says he understands the Simi Valley Unified School District’s decision to fire him.

“Nothing has been harder in my life than the last three days. It has been an absolute trying time for me, my wife, my kids,” said Brubaker.

A look of the school’s football coaching roster shows that the photo previously associated with Brubaker is no longer displayed on the team’s staff page. In its place, an empty image frame appears alongside the position typically listed for the varsity head coach, bearing the word “Vacant.”

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