An Apple a Day

Bad Apples opens with a colourful procession of apples making their way through a processing facility. There is a problem, though: stowing away is a solitary child's trainer, hidden amongst the apples and about to jam up the machine and bring the whole enterprise to a halt. Turns out a bad kid can do the same to a classroom, as poor Miss Maria Spencer (Saoirse Ronan) knows only too well. This darkly comic satire doesn't go much deeper than the above metaphor but it entertains and is propelled by a trio of strong performances.

The offending trainer belongs to Danny (Eddie Waller), a disruptive pupil whose out of control behaviour has the timid Maria on the verge of losing her job. When Danny seriously injures another pupil and gets suspended, Maria goes to see his dad but ends up in a scuffle with the troublemaking youngster that leads to her imprisoning him in her basement. With the rascal out of the picture and nobody missing him much, things start to look pretty rosy for the teacher and she is faced with a dilemma of when, if ever, to let him out.

The film is a black comedy but being based on a Scandinavian novel any actual jokes are predictably absent. Instead, Bad Apples relies on weird characters and awkward situations to induce painful chuckles. It often succeeds in doing so, with the highlight being a tense parent-teacher conference that becomes increasingly surreal. There are other times though when the vibe falls in the middle of serious and silly, meaning the film feels a little too real for the teacher to be getting away with the imprisonment so easily and a little too light hearted to address the serious themes it touches on. This tonal tension is resolved by the final act but the movie in general would have been stronger if it leaned into the absurd a bit earlier.

Not that the indecision derails the film. That would be virtually impossible when the performances are this strong. Ronan is, of course, flawless as Miss Spencer, nimbly hopping between meek and sinister while selling any number of mental states with the most subtle of facial expressions. Waller, in a remarkable first film performance, brings the fire to her ice, making Danny explode with the pain and frustration of a child completely failed by a system that doesn't have the resources (and maybe even inclination) to help him. Nearly stealing the film from both of them is another newcomer, Nia Brown as teacher's pet Pauline. Obsessed with Maria, she becomes an increasingly large fly in the ointment and is funny and disconcerting in equal measure.

A bit more of the Pauline character, and a deeper look at the contrast between her and Danny might have fleshed out the child left behind theme a bit. As it is, Bad Apples is at its best when it leans into the darkly absurd and it probably doesn't do that enough. It is still worth some attention though as it showcases one of the best young actors working today and two outstanding debut performances.

7 doctors kept away out of 10.

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