Bad Apples

Saoirse Ronan, the incandescent star of Lady Bird (TIFF ’17), Little Women, and The Outrun, returns to the screen with one of her most daring and memorable roles in Jonatan Etzler's satirical thriller Bad Apples. This audacious and timely film questions the depth of our commitment to widely accepted beliefs.

Ronan plays Maria, an elementary teacher at a ritzy private school, whose class is plagued by the epic bad behaviour of one extremely foul mouthed and disruptive child, Danny. After he has a violent altercation with another student, Maria is forced to take action. And when Danny doesn’t show up for the next few days, she is shocked at how easily the parents accept his absence — and don't want him back. As things spiral even further out of control, Maria is caught between her own bad choices, the utter lack of concern from her community, and the less-than-angelic behaviour of her other students.

Swedish-born Etzler — abetted by a stellar cast, led by the fearless Ronan — fuses caustic Nordic humour with genre elements, asking questions, both timeless and timely, and always discomfiting. Just how far (or low) will we go to preserve harmony, and how quickly can our core values be abandoned? Any parent whose child has ever dealt with a bully would be familiar with Maria's dilemma, but here the satire is pushed to daring heights. Sharp-witted and very funny, Bad Apples may prove to be one of the year's most talked-about films.

ROBYN CITIZEN