Following the success of "Oppenheimer," Cillian Murphy continues his streak of small, local (UK/Ireland set) movies about ordinary people faced with difficult choices. As a wise, titular teacher in a rural school for boys with behavioral problems, Murphy's instructor is insulted by students and told by his supervisors that the school may not remain open for much longer. The quiet scenes where he stares into nothingness, accompanied by booze and tormented by professional problems, have more impact than any speech or line he utters.
Given the array of characters, both in the small student body and teacher staff, "Steve" never manifests itself as anything more than a long episode of a miniseries we've not seen the start - nor the ending - of. The script is overstuffed (too many characters, possessing not enough substance) giving us little insight into the lives of the protagonists, while branding the students as vulgar and sometimes violent, making them difficult to identify with.
By the conclusion, we feel as if we've accidentally wandered into a place that's part time madhouse, part time rehabilitation program; of any real education there was hardly a trace.
☆☆
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