A One Mann’s Movies review of “Bad Apples” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 4*, ’15’).
Presumably scheduled at random, I watched two films at the LFF in sequence (this one and “Good Boy” – review to follow) that could have been called “Bad Apples” and “Bad Apples 2”, such is the similarity in premise!
They say “it only takes one bad apple to ruin the batch”. This comedy/drama concerns a teacher (Saoirse Ronan) at her wits end from battling with Danny (Eddie Waller), a highly disruptive pupil in her class. With OFSTED inspecting the next day, this is a film to make any UK teacher come out in a cold sweat.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
A struggling primary school teacher begins to make some questionable decisions after one of her students is injured.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (The film has not yet been rated by the BBFC but I would expect it to be a ’15’ for very strong language and violence.)
Talent:
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Sean Gilder.
Directed by: Jonatan Etzler.
Written by: Jess O’Kane. (From the novel by Rasmus Lindgren)
Running Time: 1h 40m.
Summary:
Positives:
- An intriguing tale that descends into farce but only after a lot of semi-believable hole-digging!
- A great performance from Saoirse Ronan and from young Eddie Waller.
- The farcical element in the final reel is very funny indeed.
Negatives:
- Some of Maria’s actions really do need to be taken with about a kilo of salt.
Full Review of “Bad Apples”:
A bad apple can ruin a batch of cider.
We are in the West Country of England and we start the film with Maria (Saoirse Ronan) running a school trip to the local cider manufacturing plant, run by Frank (Sean Gilder). Young scallywag Danny (Eddie Waller) – (I’m really trying to be polite about the little shit) – decides it’s a great idea to throw his trainer into the vat of apples (producing some mesmerising opening titles) and havoc ensues.
Within the classroom environment, Danny causes even more mayhem and Maria is at her wits end. (In my day, Danny would be sent to the headmasters office and receive a few lashes of the cane. Apparently, teachers can’t do that anymore!) A crisis is nearing in that amidst this chaos, OFSTED (for non-UK readers, this is the government’s schools inspection service) are due to send their inspection team into the school the very next day. Urgent action is needed and Maria decides to take it.
If you’re digging a hole, keep digging.
Maria finds herself in an ever-spiralling series of terrible decisions. (Not even playing her tractors-ploughing-fields video game seems to reduce her stress!) Whilst many of her decisions are ludicrously unnatural, in the context of the film they sort of work in a ‘panic-stricken-free-falling’ kind of way. The scenes demand some fabulous acting from Ronan and also from Eddie Waller, in his first screen appearance. He really is a convincingly nasty piece of work!
While there is drama in the film, it is mostly played for darkly comic laughs and I laughed out loud multiple times due to the turn of events.
Farce of biblical proportions.
Where things really get ludicrous – and hence hilariously funny – is in the conclusion of the film where you think the film must SURELY go one way and it heads off in a different direction. Many viewers might just say at that point “well, that’s ridiculous”. But as a satirical statement about the value of discipline in schools, it makes a cutting point.
Summary Thoughts:
This was a surprising film that strongly delivered on what it was trying to do. At 100 minutes it also didn’t outstay its welcome. Recommended.
Tickets for the London Film Festival showings on 9th and 11th October are currently sold out, but here is the booking web site to check for returns or other showings.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
At the time of writing, no trailer was released for this film.
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