BFI London Review: Bad Apples Features Saoirse Ronan in a Twisted Thriller

      For international audiences, Bad Apples may come across as a typical dark comedy about a teacher pushed to her limits by a student; however, for British viewers, it serves as a scathing critique of a failing state education system that has let down countless children, with any humor derived being cathartic amidst the sorrow. It is unexpected that such a strong commentary on national issues comes from Swedish director Jonatan Entzler in his first English-language film, which adapts Scandinavian source material to a classroom setting in southwestern England. Collaborating with emerging screenwriter Jess O’Kane, he masterfully captures decades of political neglect directed at younger generations within a morally ambiguous kidnapping comedy, compelling viewers to confront their own experiences in the classroom—both as students and parents—while attempting to make them empathize with the criminal adult rather than the victim. Its boldness lies in being a crowd-pleaser that requires viewers to set aside their empathy, emphasizing a societal issue by showing unsuspecting audiences delighting in the worst possible resolution, thereby exposing their unconscious biases.

      Saoirse Ronan plays Maria, a weary elementary school teacher whose patience is repeatedly tested by Danny (Eddie Waller), the troublesome student in her class. She won't acknowledge it, but he has worn her down; she has faced constant reprimands from the principal for failing to manage him, her fatigue putting a strain on her relationship with another teacher, and leaving her little time to focus on her other students while dealing with him. After Danny is suspended for pushing a girl down the stairs and injuring her, Maria visits his father, a delivery worker in the gig economy whose low-paying, demanding job keeps him away from home. Although he is a decent man, he struggles to grasp his son’s anger; their father-son dynamic exemplifies a widespread social issue regarding absent fathers who are often blamed for their children’s bad behavior. When he must leave for work, Maria discovers Danny vandalizing her car as he departs; she restrains him and tries to take him to the hospital, but when he threatens to tell the police she harmed him, she hurriedly brings him back to her house and locks him in the basement until he calms down.

      What should be the natural triggering event in a typical crime story turns out to be anything but. Danny’s absence makes headlines but fades quickly, and without him in class, the other students’ grades improve significantly––the school inspector even praises Maria during a visit, setting her up for a promotion. O’Kane’s script cleverly fuels the anxieties of right-wing arguments often cited in discussions about schools: that a lack of discipline from educators and mixed-ability classrooms compromises the futures of the brightest students. In truth, the real culprits are the underfunded education system, severe teacher shortages caused by low wages and demanding hours, and the repeal of a law that limited class sizes to a maximum of 30 students (the film’s portrayal of a manageable classroom is perhaps its weakest aspect). It is a narrative that leads you to believe there is a straightforward solution to the problem, only to twist the knife once you start to warm to its proposed fix. Would you ignore certain horrors if it meant your child had the best chance at success?

      All of this would fall flat if the film didn’t effectively utilize Danny, spending much of the first half persuading you that he is merely a child with negative energy. Violent, hateful, and destructive for no reason, he embodies every parent's worst nightmare, especially since he cannot be blamed on an irresponsible father. We are conditioned to view him as we have been taught to perceive any working-class child with no clear academic future: a lost cause whose presence drains potential from classmates. No child at such a formative age should be overlooked, but when they do not receive additional support, this often occurs––Danny only receives the attention he needs from Maria when she has confined him in her basement, constrained by her overwhelming workload during school hours. It’s unsurprising that his violent outbursts stem from a genuine place; countless children like him have never received the help they require because they were abandoned after their first mistake. Most people know at least one Danny, and many of us might have come closer to being a Danny than we care to admit.

      Ronan is a talented comedic performer, whose abilities are underutilized by many filmmakers, but she doesn’t adopt a straightforward comedic approach in her performance, despite the film’s dark humor. Instead, the darkness arises from her portrayal of Maria as an audience surrogate, a person overwhelmed by the situation who panics at the wrong moment, framing her decisions as mistakes that anyone in her position might make. She becomes a far more sinister character in an effective way, as her performance does not overtly declare it; when she participates in a police search for Danny alongside his father, fully aware of her knowledge of his whereabouts, the film never exaggerates the immoral nature of this act. For British