That old chestnut about two things being true at once comes to mind while watching Saoirse Ronan’s latest.
Firstly, she looks like she has the makings of a great primary school teacher.
Secondly, she should do more dark comedy.
This chilly, below-the-radar offering (have you seen/heard much about Bad Apples since it premiered at Toronto this time last year?) finds expat Irish teacher Maria (Ronan) locked in a battle for both job and sanity with pupil Danny (Eddie Waller).
Danny, to use some 70s classroom terminology that may be personally familiar, is very bold.
He ruins everything – West Country days out, cosy singalongs to Rickie Lee Jones – and with an unhelpful boss and a visit from the school inspectors looming, Maria’s future is on the line.
This is where Bad Apples asks the audience to take a huge leap of (bad) faith as things turn bizarre outside of school hours.
Bad Apples stars Nia Brown and Eddie Waller with director Jonatan Etzler at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2025
The trailer packs too much in – just like the essays you wrote when you were 10 years of age – so best to keep things brief: Bad Apples weaves together fairytale elements and social commentary as Maria’s shadow self takes control.
Once again, it’s a perfectly pitched performance from Ronan who, it turns out, meets her co-star match in youngster Eddie Waller, a novice pushing every emotional button within the space of 100 minutes. The low-key scenes between the pair turn out to be better than the meltdowns. There should have been more.
Also in the second half, the focus on Danny’s obsessed classmate Pauline (the excellent Nia Brown) brings too big a character into the mix too late and feels like it should have been a film all its own. A two-hander becoming three messes with the Maria-Danny dynamic.
Still worth a watch. Moods ranging from overcast to foul are ideal for enjoyment of this film.
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