You’ll want a bite of Ronan’s ‘Bad Apples’
The Osmonds famously sang “One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl.” The makers of the dark comedy “Bad Apples” beg to differ with that grammatically challenged statement, offering a disturbing account of one such worm-filled winesap in 11-year-old school terrorist Danny. Not only is he an obnoxious bully, preying on his petrified classmates unchecked, but he’s also a destructive loudmouth sucking up so much oxygen that he chokes off his peers’ ability to learn and prosper.
What is a teacher as dedicated as Saoirse Ronan’s Maria Spencer to do? The school’s feckless administrators, headmaster Sylvia (Rakie Ayola) and her deputy and Maria’s ex, Sam (Jacob Anderson), quake of fear of legal and parental repercussions, while Danny’s single dad, an anxiety-ridden victim of Britain’s exploitative gig economy, has neither the time nor the inclination to intervene. But when Danny (Eddie Waller) shoves the teacher’s pet, Pauline (Nia Brown), down the stairs, breaking her arm, Maria feels she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands, government statutes be damned.
The fruitful result, so to speak, proves delicious, at least for the other students, who are now free to focus on their studies unimpeded. They grow wiser and more worldly, discovering skills they never knew they possessed. And while the community understandably worries about Danny’s sudden disappearance, the parents of the “good students” are elated that their children are progressing academically and becoming more well-adjusted. Might Maria rise to teacher of the year?
The moral dilemma is obvious, but it compels your brain to get off its duff and start forming questions and identifying metaphors, particularly in how Danny symbolizes odious world leaders whose bombast and narcissism prevent their citizens and societies from achieving full potential. Should we resort to the same drastic measures as Maria? And how would we square that ethically?
As if that wasn’t intriguing enough, director Jonathan Etzler and screenwriter Jess O’Kane throw in a contrasting element when they subtly persuade us to consider how systemwide neglect may have played a significant role in creating the monster Danny has become. Maria certainly recognizes this, as she and the boy she’s impulsively imprisoned grow closer, developing something akin to Stockholm syndrome. Might the cause of Danny’s recalcitrant behavior be a lack of maternal nurturing?
Still, the circumstances often leave you feeling a bit icky. At times, I found it difficult to even watch, as Etzler and O’Kane risk going a little too dark and depraved. What’s comedic about that? More often than you’d care to admit, you find yourself chuckling at Maria’s increasing desperation, as she digs herself deeper into a seemingly inescapable hole.
The problem is that none of this is even remotely plausible, which significantly tempers the satire’s impact. But Ronan, as always, is so ideal in the role that you’re compelled to follow along as she so expertly conveys Maria’s internal struggles with conscience and moral judgment. All the while, parents praise her for what an inspiration she is to the students, at least those not locked up in her damp and dingy basement. But the truth is, she IS a great teacher. We witness this in her dedication to also delivering the one-on-one instruction Danny requires to thrive.
Despite its tonal flaws, “Bad Apples” is, by proxy, a plea from teachers everywhere who, given steep budget cuts and strict curriculum demands, have been hamstrung in their ability to shape impressionable minds and steer them on the right path. Ronan, to her credit, so perfectly embodies this frustration that you can’t help but empathize with Maria, even after she crosses the Rubicon.
It’s an excellent turn, ably abetted by equally fine performances by a couple of novices in Waller and Brown as the two extremes on the pupil spectrum. Waller renders the menace that is Danny utterly unlikeable, while Brown presents Pauline as the second coming of Tracy Flick, a self-serving brown-noser whose obsequiousness is more than a tad scary, particularly her unmitigated power over adults.
Yes, “Bad Apples” is a farcical satire that none too discreetly expresses its criticisms of the sorry state of our educational system, often to a fault. Still, Ronan is so adept at humorously displaying the mental and physical toll breaking bad takes on Maria that you can’t help but walk away from the carnage “hot for teacher.”
Movie review
Bad Apples
Rated: R for language and mild violence
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Jacob Anderson and Rakie Ayola
Director: Jonathan Etzler
Writer: Jess O’Kane
Runtime: 100 minutes
Where: In theaters Sept. 18 (limited)
Grade: B-
