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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‘The Boroughs’ Topped Nielsen Charts With 1.7 Billion Minutes 3 Weeks Before Cancellation

“The Boroughs” reached the top of the Nielsen streaming charts in its first full week of availability, three weeks before getting canceled at Netflix.

The sci-fi series, from creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and produced by the Duffer Brothers, climbed to No. 1 in the week of May 25 with 1.74 billion minutes, up 45% from the previous week where it landed at No. 2 — behind Netflix’s “Nemesis.”

The show picked up some younger audiences after finding more attention from older viewers in its debut week, increasing from 11% among adults 18-34 to 15%. Still, its audience remained concentrated in the 50+ range, per Nielsen data, with 31% among the 50-64 range.

The show boasted strong ratings in its debut, like most Netflix shows upon their release, but the streamer opted not to pursue a Season 2 citing low audience retention and high production costs. The cancellation sparked public backlash from fans and series stars Geena Davis and Denis O’Hare.

The series featured an ensemble cast including Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Denis O’Hare, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Jena Malone and others. It centered on a friend group at a retirement community working together to uncover a dark conspiracy in their midst.

Prime Video and MGM+ series “Spider-Noir,” from Sony Pictures Television, premiered on May 25 and landed the No. 4 spot on the overall charts, behind perennial hits “Bluey” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” with 851 million minutes. Paramount’s “Dutton Ranch” made it to No. 6 overall and No. 3 in the streaming originals chart with a series high of 782 million minutes.

Also of note was Apple TV’s “Your Friends and Neighbors” reaching its highest ranking to date at No. 8 on the originals chart with Season 2’s penultimate episode, reaching 387 million minutes.

Hulu’s “The Testaments,” a sequel series of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” made its debut on the chart with the drop of its Season 1 finale gathering 377 million minutes — the series had already been renewed for Season 2 by then.

The post ‘The Boroughs’ Topped Nielsen Charts With 1.7 Billion Minutes 3 Weeks Before Cancellation appeared first on TheWrap.

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What’s next for the former Alexander High School teacher facing 27 counts

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Douglasville teacher faces 27 criminal counts

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. – Former Alexander High School biology teacher and football administrator Maris Nichols faced a judge Thursday morning as she deals with 27 criminal counts.

Maris Nichols indicted

What we know:

Former Alexander High School teacher Maris Nichols faces 27 counts including child molestation, grooming of a minor, electronic distribution of obscene materials and sexual exploitation of children.

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Alexander High School in Douglas County

The court documents detail explicit encounters with at least seven students between January and May. Prosecutors allege Nichols engaged in sexual intercourse, filmed explicit videos with a minor and sent nude photographs to teenagers. She is accused having sex with a student in a school closet and on a truck at a golf course community.

It remains unclear how many total students may have been impacted beyond the students identified in the indictment.

What they’re saying:

Family psychiatrist Dr. Savat Bargabay noted that these cases often stem from a desire for power and control rather than sexual driving forces.

“In fact, most cases of where people are victimized through sexual assault is not about the sex,” Bargabay said. “It has to do with other things that drive that person to want to have power, control.”

Teacher Maris Nichols makes court appearance

The Douglas County teacher accused of repeated sexual misconduct with multiple high school students is back in custody after being indicted by a grand jury. She appeared in court on Thursday morning and will be back in court on Monday. Kevyn Stewart reporting.

Alexander High School accusations

The backstory:

The 25-year-old Nichols was initially arrested on May 8 and released on a $40,000 bond after being charged with two counts of sexual contact. Investigators later uncovered additional victims, leading to a second arrest on May 20 and a total bond increase to $74,000.

As part of that bond, the former biology teacher was required to stay away from the alleged victim, avoid Alexander High School, have no contact with unrelated minors, undergo a mental health evaluation and remain on house arrest except for approved activities.

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Maris Nichols (Douglas County Schools)

During a 27-day period, authorities say Nichols committed 38 home curfew violations and 47 inclusion zone violations. In addition, investigators uncovered additional allegations of criminal conduct.

Nichols was arrested again on May 20 on a wave of new charges. Despite prosecutors arguing she should remain behind bars, she was granted an increased bond. Tightened bond restrictions were put into place, including an absolute ban on internet access, social media and any contact with minors except her own 6-year-old daughter.

According to the warrants, detectives repeatedly referenced claims that students threatened to expose an alleged OnlyFans account in exchange for favorable grades. Investigators sought extensive records from the platform, including account information, communications, uploaded content, payment records, IP addresses and earnings data.

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Maris Nichols (Douglas County Schools)

New arrest warrant issued

What’s next:

On Wednesday, authorities issued a new arrest warrant ordering law enforcement to return the former educator to jail without bond.

As of early Thursday morning, jail records indicated Nichols was back in custody with an arrest date of June 25 and no bond.

FULL VIDEO: Former teacher Maris Nichols makes court appearance

Nichols also made her first court appearance Thursday morning on the new indictment. During the brief hearing, her attorney waived a formal reading of the arrest warrant and acknowledged that the case is now under the jurisdiction of Douglas County Superior Court because of the grand jury indictment.

The judge advised Nichols of her constitutional rights before ordering the case transferred to Superior Court, where previously scheduled motion hearings remain set for Monday before Judge Cynthia Adams Wallace. No bond was considered during Thursday’s hearing because the case has already been bound over to Superior Court.

The hearing on June 29 is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Her arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 4.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court documents and authorities, who detailed the grand jury indictment, listed the specific criminal charges and detailed the subsequent bond violations committed by the accused. The original story was updated Thursday morning with the information that she is back in custody. This story also included statements from the presiding judge and insights from family psychiatrist Dr. Savat Bargabay.

Douglas County News Crime and Public Safety Instastories

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Brooklyn Beckham twins with father-in-law in birthday celebrations amid family rift

Brooklyn Beckham, 27, was all smiles as he joined wife, Nicola Peltz, 31, and her loved ones for a special family celebration this week – marking a milestone birthday as his relationship to his own parents only worsens.

The close-knit family gathered at their Florida home to celebrate Nelson’s 83rd birthday, with Nicola sharing a series of touching photographs from the occasion on social media with fans.

One snap was a portrait featuring Nelson surrounded by his children including sons Zach, Diesel, Will, Bradley and Greg, as well as Nicola and Brooklyn. The family all wore matching cowboy hats, as they looked close and relaxed, with Brooklyn seemingly a solid member of the Peltz clan.