Aarcflick

Producer and star Cillian Murphy and director Tim Mielants recently collaborated on an exceptional adaptation of Claire Keegan's "Small Things Like These," and their new project together is completely different: a drama infused with gonzo energy and the death-metal chaos of emotional pain, with touches of bizarre, dark humor. Max Porter adapted his 2023 short story, "Shy," for the big screen, and Murphy himself gives one of his most uninhibited and effusive performances. Murphy plays Steve, a stressed-out, troubled, but passionately committed headmaster with a secret alcohol and substance abuse problem, in charge of a residential reform school for delinquent teenagers in the mid-90s. With his team—the headmaster's assistant (Tracey Ullman), the therapist-counselor (Emily Watson), and a new teacher (Little Simz)—he must somehow maintain order in the constant chaos of bickering and maybe even teach them something. Director: Tim Mielants Writer: Max Porter Star...