Bad Apples (2026) Review!!

Synopsis – A struggling primary school teacher begins to make some questionable decisions after one of her students is injured.

My Take – Indeed, teachers occupy a complicated position in our society. They are expected to uphold the highest standards of care, compassion, integrity and professional ethics, yet are frequently treated with remarkably little respect or dignity by parents, students, government departments and even their employers.

They are often expected to perform extraordinary work while being denied the resources, institutional support and authority necessary to do their jobs effectively. This becomes particularly evident when teachers are confronted with the difficult task of managing disruptive students.

They must constantly negotiate the delicate balance between maintaining discipline and fulfilling their responsibility to educate, support and guide young people. Some students struggle with behavioral issues, while others act out because of problems at home, peer pressure or a desperate need for attention. Finding the right approach is rarely straightforward, particularly when the behavior of one disruptive student can undermine the learning environment of an entire classroom.

Perhaps this is what makes watching a beleaguered British teacher resort to an increasingly unconventional solution in Swedish director Jonatan Etzler‘s English-language debut so inexorably compelling, and almost darkly delicious. The film builds its nervy premise around a biting satire of Britain’s education system, while remaining acutely aware of the often brutal realities of the teaching profession.

Based on Danish author Rasmus Lindgren‘s Swedish-language novel De Oönskade (The Unwanted), the film sees a sympathetic teacher who gradually crosses over to the dark side, but what distinguishes it from the familiar bad-teacher/student-victim narrative, however, is the way Saoirse Ronan‘s Maria remains sympathetic and recognizably human throughout, even as her actions become increasingly questionable. Her transformation is neither entirely unexpected nor easy to dismiss. Etzler, meanwhile, demonstrates a reassuring command of the material, maintaining a careful balance between the film’s more unsettling elements and the genuine humor in Jess O’Kane‘s screenplay.

Sure, the satire could certainly have been sharper and more vicious in places, but the film compensates with moments of unexpected tenderness, considerable discomfort and a decidedly wicked sense of fun. After all, it is an occasionally disturbing, often touching and thoroughly entertaining revenge fantasy about a form of retribution nobody should ever contemplate carrying out.

Those willing to find humor amid its darker horrors will discover plenty to enjoy, even as they find themselves questioning, and perhaps disliking, the characters they have been rooting for. Ronan’s star power should be a selling point, and her fans may be interested to see her play someone outwardly sweet who learns how rotten she can be.

Set in Bristol, the story follows Maria (Saoirse Ronan), a lonely, disillusioned and increasingly marginalized primary school teacher who has all but lost her passion for the profession. Starved of resources, institutional support and even basic respect, she has become so accustomed to being undervalued that everyone, including Maria herself, seems to regard her as little more than a glorified babysitter. Nothing encapsulates her daily misery and seemingly endless struggle with existence quite like Danny (Eddie Waller), the classroom bully whose violent, foul-mouthed behavior makes life miserable for both Maria and his classmates.

Following a particularly frightening incident in which he pushes Pauline (Nia Brown), a socially awkward classmate, down a flight of stairs, leaving her with a broken arm, Maria is reprimanded by the school administration and warned to do a better job of controlling his increasingly unruly behavior. Matters take a decidedly darker turn when Maria encounters Danny away from school one evening, only to find the young troublemaker attempting to attack her with an iron pipe.

A confrontation ensues, during which she manages to temporarily knock him unconscious. Panicked and seemingly unable to process the enormity of what has just happened, Maria makes an extraordinary decision: rather than seeking help, she drives the unconscious child back to her home and locks him inside her basement.

Here, you will find yourself laughing both with and at the characters, often feeling rather ashamed of having done so. That uncomfortable contradiction is central to the film’s appeal. Following her violent confrontation with Danny, Maria makes the extraordinary decision to lock him in her basement. Although he attacked her, she is convinced nobody will believe her account of what happened. Director Etzler takes this morally troubling premise and steadily escalates the absurdity, keeping audiences wondering when Maria’s deception will finally collapse.

Her predicament is compounded by the contempt she faces from colleagues, students and local parents. Her personal life offers little comfort either, with her former partner, deputy head teacher Sam (Jacob Anderson), still collecting his belongings because his new partner needs the space. Jess O’Kane‘s screenplay also keeps the tension alive through a succession of complications. Danny’s father, Josh (Robert Emms), is desperately searching for his son, the police are following every available lead, and Danny repeatedly attempts to escape. An unexpectedly nosy supporting character adds another complication to Maria’s increasingly precarious situation.

The film occasionally ventures into surreal and transgressive territory, but Etzler‘s confident direction keeps its darker turns engaging. Its greatest strength, however, lies in the complexity of Maria and Danny’s relationship. Neither is presented as an entirely innocent victim. Their troubled circumstances gradually emerge, including indications that Danny receives inadequate care at home. Yet their respective difficulties do not excuse their behavior.

Danny displays an unsettling delight in seeing others get hurt, while Maria’s decision to imprison him and manipulate his hopes of seeing his father reveals her own capacity for cruelty. Their shifting dynamic is fascinating precisely because vulnerability and wrongdoing coexist.

Yes, the screenplay introduces more narrative threads than it can comfortably resolve, leaving some subplots underdeveloped. Nevertheless, its unpredictability and willingness to embrace the unexpected make for an entertaining ride, with circumstances continuing to change right up to the very end.

Performance wise, Saoirse Ronan is the film’s biggest selling point. A four-time Oscar nominee and one of her generation’s most versatile actors, she is equally terrifying and sympathetic, often within the same scene. Ronan brilliantly conveys the white-hot rage simmering beneath Maria’s quiet, mousey demeanor, making her increasingly unsettling transformation impossible to look away from.

Newcomer Eddie Waller is equally effective as Danny, balancing the character’s aggression with glimpses of vulnerability, while Nia Brown is wonderfully unnerving as Pauline, whose eagerness to please threaten Maria’s plans. Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms and Sean Gilder round out a strong supporting cast. On the whole, ‘Bad Apples‘ is a darkly hilarious, politically sharp school satire that finds wicked humor in the frustrations and failures of an education system pushed to breaking point.