How do you use your Oscar clout? It’s a fork in the road for most actors after they reach that career peak. Nic Cage chose to go for big action movies like Face/Off. Emma Stone got weird with Yorgos Lanthimos. With Small Things Like These and Steve, Cillian Murphy has chosen advocacy filmmaking. Shining a light on a societal ill with a great story is about as good as you can get with a post Oscar crusade: I hope him and his director buddy Tim Mielants keep that light bright as long as they can.
Steve (Cillian Murphy) is the headmaster at a boarding school for boys. But not just any boys: every boy that is completely troubled and struggling with their emotions. He’s got a loyal following of dedicated staff, including 2nd in command Amanda (Tracy Ullman), new hire Shola (Simbi Ajikawo) and skilled therapist Jenny (Emily Watson). But even all the good will and hard work of these people cannot overcome the dual pressures from both sides. Boys like Shy (Jay Lycurgo), Jamie (Luke Ayres), and Benny (Araloyin Oshunremi) and dozens of other malcontent destructive teens ready to pop at any unfortunate news. And private investors unhappy with the results they want to see, with fewer and fewer resources.
Pressure is the key word. Steve never has a minute’s peace when he’s at work. He’s either breaking up fights, making time for one on one’s with his colleagues and the kids, prepping a documentary crew which can hopefully boost support for his school, and fighting investors who have lost faith in his leadership. At one point Steve is stretching his back and even though he’s sore, it’s his lone moment of peace, needed to get back into the fight. Each problem is unique and seemingly unsolvable. The kids all have specific and complicated issues to get through on their way to self improvement. Publicity is needed to boost money investment to continue the work. Teachers hitting their own burnouts have to be talked back from quitting. Director Mielants really puts you inside everyone’s headspace here, especially Steve’s, so we feel the weight on their shoulders.
And yet, Steve shoulders on, one step at a time. This is the most chatty Cillian Murphy has been in a movie in a long time. It’s a new way for him to show how to hide pain and anguish behind those piercing eyes. There’s a fierce belief in his mission that keeps Steve going that Cillian conveys through pain. My favorite moment of Steve’s is when he’s in class, and the boys have stopped bickering to actually listen to his lecture, because of how excited Steve is to teach them this lesson that might let them see outside their dreary day to day lives. The cast sells that belief too, awed by the man. Vets like Tracy Ullman and Emily Watson are quiet generals, emotionless but soldiering on dutifully. It’s the kids that give the movie something extra, especially Jay Lycurgo’s Shy, similarly holding in pain and anguish like the Oscar Winning star until he can’t anymore, lashing out scarily with unnerving melancholy.
As part of the Netflix Suite, I hope enough people find their way to Steve. It’s ultimately a celebratory tale of overcoming, and the people doing the hard work keeping the world turning for those who can’t accomplish it on their own. So, 2026 Oscar Winners Jeremy Allen White and Jessie Buckley, how will you spend your Oscar clout?