'Bad Apples' Review
Release Date: 09/18/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Comedy. Mystery. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Republic Pictures.
The Verdict: A Must-See
In a summer full of breakout independent films and smash hits from young, first-time directors, Bad Apples is director Jonatan Etzler's English-language debut. With Saoirse Ronan attached to star, that was all it took for me to take a bite.
Ronan plays schoolteacher Maria, who struggles to handle the problematic child in her class, Danny. He is constantly disrespectful, disrupts the rest of the class, and is clearly having a hard time. The child’s father is no help and seems quite afraid of his own son. When Maria asks her boss for help, she’s reminded that it’s her job to figure out how to handle the boy. So she throws the kid in her basement. Not in a creepy Split-type way, but enough to be jarring and clearly criminal. But with Danny out of the way, Maria gets to experience her classroom transform into an actual place of learning, where she finally sees progress in her students.
While it’s billed as a dark comedy, the humor comes not from jokes, but from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. It’s an extreme, unrealistic take on a very real issue. I know several teachers who have left the field simply because the kids are out of control and the parents don't take accountability. On the flip side, the standard model of classroom education doesn't always fit some kids, who might need a different approach to learning. Still, not enough institutions offer that, and Maria's own administration failed to help her. Teachers have to fend for themselves, and when you're stretched thin, not every student gets the attention they deserve. Removing Danny from the classroom provided the dual benefit of creating a functional classroom while also allowing one-on-one teaching. And I think the big picture here is that we need to find other ways to help kids learn besides the one we all grew up with.
This one gets an A+ from me!
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