Naman Shrestha
Academy Award-winner Cillian Murphy portrays the titular character in Tim Mielants’ directorial, ‘Steve,’ which is adapted from Max Porter’s 2023 novella titled ‘Shy.’ Netflix’s British comedy-drama movie chronicles an overwhelming day in the life of Steve, the headteacher of a reform school for boys with behavioural and societal difficulties. While the school is on the brink of shutting down, the protagonist does his best to keep his students in line and save the school’s integrity. At the same time, he is in a constant battle with demons of his own.
We also get acquainted with one of his students named Shy, who is susceptible to giving in to his urges of self-destruction and violence. The troubled teen student is also caught up between his traumatic past and the uncertain future. Set in the mid-1990s, the story unfolds in and around the reform school, which serves as a home to not just the students but also to Steve, who is in charge of them. In a way, the secluded location of the school highlights the claustrophobia felt by the protagonist while dealing with his unstable mental state.
Steve Filming Locations
The filming of ‘Steve’ took place entirely in the United Kingdom, particularly in Somerset in South West England. Principal photography reportedly commenced on May 24, 2024, and continued for more than a month before wrapping up on July 5 of the same year. All of the team members delivered their best to bring the film to life as it was envisioned. From what we can tell, by the end of the production process, they created beautiful memories and forged meaningful bonds that extended well beyond the shooting schedule.
In a conversation with Moviefone, lead actor Cillian Murphy opened up about the chill vibe on set. Explaining his camaraderie with his co-star and veteran comedian, Tracey Ullman, he stated, “We always have a laugh on our sets. There’s always a lot of laughing and messing around, but Tracye, she’s an icon. She is a comedy legend, but she’s also a tremendous dramatic actor. She’s very keen to show that part of what she can do, and she just absolutely nailed it in the film, I think.”
Somerset, England
For the purpose of filming, the cast and crew visited the ceremonial county of Somerset. In particular, the entirety of the shooting was conducted at a reform school in the city of Bath. In the aforementioned interview, Cillian Murphy spilled the beans on the interesting aspects of the production process. He shared that the team holed up at the school for two weeks. During their time at the institution, they undertook acting exercises and rehearsals, while also stepping outside of the script to make room for improvisations. Interestingly, director Tim Mielants adopted a creative approach and spoke to the young boys as though they were being interviewed while immersed in their roles. Writer Max Porter, who also wrote the source material, then developed the snippets for the screen.
The process added a touch of authenticity while encouraging the kids to feel relaxed and comfortable on camera. Filming in a reform school heightened the story’s tense tone and dreary atmosphere, with the architecture, dull hallways, and worn interiors offering a sense of realism. All of these factors enhanced the film’s isolated appeal and assisted the cast to immerse themselves better into their characters. Talking about his third collaboration with Tim, Cillian shared, “We have a real shorthand, a real understanding, and a shared taste.” Their bond further helped them accomplish the desired outcome.
Apart from being restricted to one site, the filming was carried out in a chronological fashion. Opening up about the experience, Cillian said, “We shot the film chronologically, which is the biggest gift you can give to a crew and to a cast, I think. Because you experience what’s happening to the character as the character experiences it, so you’re not dancing around trying to retrospectively figure out what may have happened or trying to imagine what would’ve happened in the future.” Emphasizing the importance of filming at one spot, he added, “You’re living this story as the characters would. As much as you can do, or it certainly helps the process. It’s almost impossible to achieve normally, but we were just in one location, so we were able to employ that.”
Read More: Where is Hulu’s Chad Powers Filmed?
