Bad Apples review: Teachers, this film is for you

Watching the showcase of impulsive and absolutely illegal decisions made in the film Bad Apples , I couldn't get the words of a doomed galactic senator out of my head: "If you lead your thoughts through to conclusion, it will lead you to a place we cannot go." It's exactly this place of no return that the Saiorse Ronan -led dark comedy thriller relentlessly cannonballs into, with director Jonatan Etzler putting his protagonist down a dubious, desperate path.

With Ronan's always-impeccable talents supported by a sublime young cast, Bad Apples leans into unethical impulses, all the while exposing home truths about the under-resourced education system and social disdain toward children with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties.

Plus, it's really funny.

SEE ALSO: How social media in the classroom is burning teachers out Teachers, parents, you're going to want to watch this film (and I want to know what you think of it).

Bad Apples sees Saiorse Ronan as a teacher who meets her edge Written by Jess O'Kane as an adaptation of Rasmus Andersson's novel De Oönskade , Bad Apples enrols you with Somerset-based primary school teacher Maria (Ronan), who has thought of nothing but a teaching career since childhood.

Alas, the reality of an underfunded education system wears down her Miss Honey-drenched dreams and raises the stakes with a "difficult" student.

Beyond overwhelmed, Maria's all-too-real lack of institutional support comes to a head accommodating the needs of disruptive student Danny (excellent newcomer Eddie Waller).

A boy with the shortest of fuses, he swears at his classmates, destroys their belongings, ruins excursions, and generally gives Maria hell.

Here, young Waller delivers in spades, with O'Kane's script heaped with unapologetic expletives and violent threats.

Despite her frazzled attempts to control the situation and the attempted assistance of teacher's pet Pauline (an outstanding Nia Brown), Maria is held accountable by concerned parents, denied professional support by the equally stressed principal (Rakie Ayola), and facing the school's dreaded regular Ofsted inspection.

Suddenly, a moment of violence occurs.

With her job genuinely on the line, Maria takes action.

How do you solve a problem like Danny? Reader, she locks this kid in her own basement.

Featured Video For You NYCC Recap, Good Boy's Oscar Plea, and Best Book Adaptations from BFI LFF Saiorse Ronan gives a masterclass in unreliable protagonist With full knowledge of the kidnapped child playing video games in her home, Maria keeps the ruse up — and Ronan plays the audience entirely with her inner insistence on her actions being justified.