Belgian director Tim Mielants on why his film ‘Steve’ sparks an important conversation about social inequality

It is fair to say – and when put to him, he does not disagree – that Tim Mielants seems to be one of cinema’s great observers. The Flemish filmmaker is often the outsider who sees, a man with a huge social conscience and a good heart, rather like his serial collaborator and great friend, the Irish actor Cillian Murphy. The pair formed a strong bond on the set of Peaky Blinders, an award-winning period drama about a Birmingham crime gang set in the aftermath of  World War One.

Steve is the latest Mielants/Murphy collaboration made by Murphy’s production company Big Things Films. If Mielants does not trouble himself too much with chasing awards, Steve packs a punch in this relatively small budget film. “The message is what is important in my work,” he said. “The reward for me is that the films I make, start a conversation, a conversation that needs to take place.”

Murphy plays the title role of Steve, a troubled yet committed head teacher of a boarding school for teenage boys, a last chance saloon institution for youngsters who have all but been written off by the system. Set during the 1990s in the west of England, it is based on the novella Shy by Max Porter, an executive producer of the film. Although the book is portrayed through the troubled world of Shy, Mielants chose to focus attention on Porter’s character Steve for the film. Despite the empathetic mask the educator wears, he faces daily personal battles with alcohol and substance abuse. Frequent close-up shots of Murphy’s tormented face underline the pressure he faces after reluctantly allowing a local film crew into the school to follow the trials of an institution under imminent threat from closure. “Turning the book into a film was not such an easy task,” admitted Mielants. “We sort of had to turn the book on its head to focus on Steve in order to make the film.”

The supporting cast is an interesting mix of acting talent, including British rapper Simbiatu Ajikawolisten, better known as Little Simz, acclaimed British actress Emily Watson, and all round creative polymath Tracey Ullman, who plays overstretched deputy head Amanda. “I knew Tracey was a big fan of Ken Loach’s work so we shared a mutual admiration for him. I felt really honoured when Tracey compared my work to his,” admits Mielants.

To add gritty realism, the director visited boxing clubs in Britain to cast boys from similar backgrounds to the school’s rowdy pupils. “Of course, not all boys and girls who are members of boxing clubs match the stereotype. I think we saw around 3,000 boys during the casting as we wanted to get it right, to bring authenticity to the film.”

Mielants’ own seemingly comfortable background is far removed to most of the teenage characters in Steve, yet he brings innate sensitivity and empathy to his projects. Born 47 years ago in Mortsel, south of Antwerp, he is the son of the renowned Flemish mathematician, Dr Wim Mielants. A deeply guarded man, he prefers to express his thoughts through his work; developing a love for storytelling and drama through a shared passion with his mother who encouraged him to study film at university.

After learning his craft, Mielants’ initial directorial work was in Belgian television. He later won acclaim in the world of film for his 2019 Belgian nudist tragi-comedy movie, Patrick. Mielants followed it up with his 2023 offering Wil, set in occupied Belgium during World War Two. It follows two young Antwerp police officers forced to choose between protecting a Jewish family in hiding and saving their own lives by following Gestapo orders.

Mielants has moved seamlessly back and forth from big to small screens throughout his versatile career, taking on projects from social drama to dark comedies with equal alacrity. TV credits include the 2014 Belgian series Cordon, set in Antwerp during a deadly viral attack, Anglo-French collaboration The Tunnel and two episodes of the British crime drama The Responder. But probably Mielants is best known for directing the entire third season of Peaky Blinders, a pivotal storyline in the tale of the Shelby family.

“After Peaky, Cill and me wanted to work together on something quite small but meaningful but we didn’t know exactly what,” said Mielants, who was visiting the actor and his artist wife Yvonne at their home in Ireland when the idea for their next project emerged. “Yvonne came in the room, full of excitement, waving  a novella by Claire Keegan, saying; ‘you have to make a film of this book.’” Advice happily received, Mielants directed Murphy in the 2024 film Small Things Like These (pictured above) which was adapted for the big screen by Irish writer Enda Walsh. It is a quiet, impactful film set during the 1980s in a small town in Ireland.

Steve and Small Things Like These are similar beasts, dealing with complex issues while resisting the need for heavy sermons and copious action. The societal ills explored in both films took place 30 and 40 years ago, yet Mielants agrees they still have enormous resonance in 2026. Depression, oppression, inequality, abuse, religious conflict, neglect... remain omnipresent. “We can’t change everything but we have to learn and do better,” said Mielants. “We have to look after each other, especially young people. We still have young men and women who are allowed to fall through the cracks in society. Not just in Belgium and Britain but everywhere. We have to learn, we all have to improve things where we can.”  

Steve is currently streaming on Netflix. The 79th British Academy Film Awards will be shown on BBC One on 22 February.

Photos: Steve, courtesy Netflix; Tim Mielants Berlinale 2024 ©Wikipedia Commons; Small Things Like These ©Film Fest Gent