When Saoirse Ronan was celebrated for her leading role in Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut “Ladybird” at the age of 23, she already had almost 15 years of camera experience. She starred in an Irish TV series when she was just nine years old, and four years later she became famous as the devious little sister in “Atonement” – most recently she was among others. can be seen in the addiction drama “The Outrun” by the German “System Sprenger” director Nora Fingscheidt.
The Irish-American actress has won numerous awards (including a Golden Globe and four Oscar nominations), and she now directs and produces herself. And because there is probably even more to be expected from her, we want to clarify once and for all how her name is pronounced, which, by the way, means “freedom”: “Sersche”, with a sharp “S” at the beginning, a slightly longer “E” in the middle and a short “E” at the end (there are even instructions on YouTube from herself).
Another way to deal with a “system buster”.
Now Saoirse Ronan plays the main role in “Bad Apples”: the young teacher Maria, who thrives on her work but has great difficulties with one of her students. This becomes clear right from the start when she visits a juice factory with her 4th grade class. While a friendly employee explains everything, a child throws a shoe onto the conveyor belt to the apples, disrupting not only the school trip but also the processes in the factory. Danny (Eddie Waller) is a difficult but smart boy who constantly causes trouble and becomes increasingly aggressive. His single father Josh (Robert Emms) works day and night as a parcel delivery man and is overwhelmed with his son. Meanwhile, Danny terrorizes the entire class and even pushes the nerdy Pauline (Nia Brown) over the banister.
Maria feels responsible because she wasn’t paying attention for a moment. Actually, everyone knows, but no one has any advice – neither the director nor the guidance counselor. As a teacher, she also has to deal with difficult children. But when Maria meets the wandering Danny, who is unleashing his destructive rage on parked cars, it is the first link in a chain of unforeseeable events that have fatal consequences for both of them – and in the end Danny sits chained in Maria’s basement. But that is just the beginning of a story that is as absurd as it is logically constructed about a teacher who wants to do the right thing, but makes everything worse and worse – and about a child that nobody likes and nobody wants…
Maria (Saoirse Ronan) probably doesn’t really know how exactly her student Danny (Eddie Waller) ended up locked in her basement.
The apples, which are photogenic at the beginning hanging on a plantation, fall from the trees as the film progresses, attract worms and rot. Nevertheless, the film, with its obviously symbolic title, is actually a comedy, albeit a very, very evil one. There are also thriller elements, because “Bad Apples” is also really exciting – with a dash of social satire that packs a punch! The humor ranges from malicious to grim and, above all, deep black. From the beginning there is an underlying threat, first whispering quietly and then – like the score – booming louder and louder: “If this goes well…” The developments are hardly predictable, there are at least three completely unexpected twists – and at some point the most important question is: “Will Maria get out of this thing again?” And if so: “How is that even supposed to work?”
Swedish director Jonatan Etzler has filmed the novel “De Oönskade” based on a script by US author Jess O’Kane. The title translates as: “The Unwanted”, but the book has not yet been published in Germany. The plot was slightly adapted for the film, so in the book Maria is the director and there is a whole group of aggressive children, not just one boy. Nevertheless, the character of social satire remains clearly visible. The focus is clearly on Maria as a person who, through circumstances and her own actions, develops from an idealist to a criminal – and knows it very well! Saoirse Ronan plays Maria in a furious balancing act between determination, fear and astonishment. Sometimes it seems as if she wonders about herself and her actions.
No easy (and maybe even no) solutions
Her gentle, pale Renaissance face, which initially appears haggard, far too young and far too narrow, seems to gain color over time. She thrives, as does her class, which benefits in every way from Danny’s absence. And somehow the great actress manages to make people like her again – despite the numerous, albeit mostly unintentional, mistakes she makes. And there is also pity: for her and for the situation she has put herself in – and at some point also for Danny. When Jonatan Etzler then presents a third culprit in a breath-taking (and very funny) pre-finale, Maria and Danny’s actions pale in comparison to the consequences of everyday evil.
Danny is certainly a “system buster” – there are no easy solutions to his situation and his future, and perhaps there are none at all. At the age of ten, Danny is already outside society – and the chances of him ever being allowed back in are extremely slim. If an idealistic teacher like Maria tries again and again with him, then she does so because no one should get lost on the way to growing up. But in Danny’s case, she could be wrong, and maybe children aren’t as good as she’d like. Because Danny is not just a rascal who can find his way on the right path with a little more love, care and kindness. No, this boy is really dangerous. Eddie Waller plays him as a smart, impulsive child who is devious and completely unpredictable. What will he think of next?
Only at first glance the perfect teacher: Maria is also very guilty!
Although it is not primarily about reckoning with an inadequate and outdated education system, but rather about individual problems, the film nevertheless maintains a critical eye for social circumstances and distortions. The children’s family circumstances are shown rather casually. From the beginning it all seems threatening, only the light music suggests with its hopping: “It might not be that bad after all…” But the tone intensifies as the plot progresses, of which we want to reveal as little as possible here. The humor is so bitter that you often find yourself laughing in your throat. All that remains is the faint hope that a relationship might slowly develop between Maria and Danny. But be careful, because Jonatan Etzler really takes the game of expectations to the extreme…
Conclusion: An extremely exciting, exciting, never predictable film about a teacher who goes astray, which invites controversial discussions about school, raising children and current social upheavals – a good thing!