Adapted from the Swedish novel De Oönskade, Jonatan Eltzer’s English-language feature Bad Apples examines the conditions of the British public schooling system in a working-class Somerset town. A remarkable balance of satire, absurdism and heart, Bad Apples is a cinematic testimony to kids who fall through the cracks.

Saoirse Ronan stars as Maria Spencer, a long-time teacher and first-time kidnapper, when a misunderstanding between herself and the resident class troublemaker, Danny, lands the young boy locked in her basement. With an impending Ofsted inspection — which, for some, is arguably more terrifying than hiding a maniacal 10-year-old in your basement — Maria decides to keep Danny locked away in a desperate attempt to keep her job.

Whilst Bad Apples is held up by a myriad of stellar performances from its adult ensemble — including Sean Gilder as Frank (King Arthur, Gangs of New York) and Jacob Anderson as Sam (Game of Thrones, Interview with a Vampire) — it is the child stars who steal the show. Eddie Waller makes his feature debut as Danny, and his performance is the (rapidly) beating heart of the film. Waller wholly transforms into the film’s young antagonist, with powerful physicality and a striking emotional intelligence which allows him to dominate the screen, simultaneously luring audiences and characters alike into a state of conflicting compassion and fear. Alongside Waller, young actress Nia Brown has audiences writhing in their seats as Pauline. Brown’s unyielding dedication to Pauline’s archetypal teacher’s pet performance is an unnerving delight — with a simple glance, beat of silence, or graze of the hand eliciting incredulous gasps from the audience.

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Do not let its small-town, slice-of-life setting fool you. Bad Apples is a riotous, nail-biting feature which subjects audiences to 100 minutes of questioning: ‘how far will they go?’ Old and young, every onscreen Somerset resident audiences meet is multi-faceted, emotionally developed, and no one is truly innocent. The moral ambiguity which underscores the Bad Apples players is what makes the film so exciting; with no clear voice of reason and ethics (literally anywhere!), the film descends into utter absurdism. The dichotomy between the film’s realistic mise-en-scene and its ludicrous plot line is perfectly balanced, repeatedly drawing bewildered reactions from its audiences without ever growing tiresome.

Beyond its humorous irrationality, Bad Apples has heart. Ronan once more proves why she is both the people’s princess and a household name; her performance as Maria is understated and emotional. The synonymously volatile and emotional connection established between Ronan and Waller is confounding and pure. Both actors effortlessly showcase an extensive emotional range, performing scenes of heightened physical and verbal aggression one moment, and sharing quiet moments of reflection and care the next. Ronan and Waller are an outstanding pair, whose all-encompassing portrayal of Maria and Danny ignites a deepened emotional complexity surrounding their circumstantial proximity.

A subversion of the age-old nature versus nurture debate, Bad Apples is an exhilarating albeit stressful exploration of society’s treatment towards ‘troubled kids’ — do we hide them away? Do we help them? How do we help them? An undeniably brilliant feature, Etzler forces audiences to face the unpleasant truth that some kids do shout, kick, push and pry. Like Danny, some kids do fall through the cracks, and they deserve better.

★★★★★

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In Cinemas from September 18th / Dir. Jonatan Etzler / Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Jacob Anderson, Sean Gilder, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms / Paramount Pictures UK / 15