Bad Apples

Etzler wields the film’s urgent satire like a scalpel, precisely cutting away at all the lies we so easily find ourselves telling that mask the darker truths about who we are.

That Bad Apples is so much fun to hem and haw about is a testament to Ronan’s typically excellent performance, which showcases both her low-key comic charm and also her pronounced talent for ambivalence.

The film is genuinely funny, and the cast is up to the task as the story balances impending consequences for Maria’s actions and gasp-inducing comedic satire.

Etzler carefully walks the line, taking a dark subject and ratcheting up both the tension and the humor until the two are inextricably linked, making for an entertaining and unpredictably exciting debut.

Ultimately, this odd, wicked little amorality tale winds up siding with no one: The children are indeed the future, we’re left to conclude, but will they make it any better than the present?

As a whole, Bad Apples occasionally brings some laughs, but it leaves little to ruminate on after. If Ronan and Waller weren’t as good as they are, bringing a dynamic that has some interesting evolutions, then there would be a lot less to present here.

Swedish director Jonatan Etzler, making his English-language debut, cannot keep this daring story plausible enough to offer meaningful insights into our broken education system.