There’s something so special about seeing a film with its cast and crew in the room and being able to applaud them for their work. Watching ‘Bad Apples’ at the London Film Festival with the cast and crew in the audience was a wild ride from start to finish. There’s something so thrilling about not knowing if you should agree with what is happening on screen or not. 

‘Bad Apples’ is a satirical thriller which follows the story of Maria (Saoirse Ronan) an elementary school teacher whose class is disrupted by Danny (Eddie Waller) who refuses to listen. After an altercation with another student Maria is forced to take action. But when Danny doesn’t show up for the next few days she is shocked by how easily everyone accepts his absence. ‘Bad Apples’ is a sharp witted and very funny film that should be on your watch list. 

Saoirse Ronan’s performance as Maria is simply incredible as she captures the exhaustion, care and chaos of being responsible for so many young minds. There were times when I genuinely felt like I was watching myself or my teacher friends back when I used to work in a secondary school. The film felt like I was reliving my school experience as it captures perfectly the unpredictability of a classroom, the little crises that are one second away from becoming major, the feeling of being responsible for so many different personalities while not getting the support needed. Although wrong without a doubt some of the extreme situations in this film made me think ‘I wish teachers could do that.’ It’s a film that teachers especially will relate to and is a reminder for everyone of how much pressures teachers face. I won’t spoil the movie for you as you have to see for yourself.

While the film makes you laugh it also has many moments that will remind you that everyone even kids are going through something that others are not aware of. Don’t get me wrong there are moments that are exaggerated and hopefully don’t happen but there is also so much more for both Maria and her students.

As someone who has worked in education I was surprised by how much the film resonated with my experience as I could see the small glimpses of the stress, the chaos, the moments when you just think ‘If only’, the lack of support and the guilt of feeling like you’re not doing enough. I later during the Q&A found out that the director Jonatan Etzler used to teach and it made sense why the film captures teaching and school life so well. 

I have to say I was so impressed  by Danny (Eddie Waller) and Pauline (Nia Brown). They both brought so much to their characters that I have to be honest I was scared of both of them at times just because they were so incredible in bringing their characters to life. There are so many times where the characters interact that will make you laugh, be shocked and not believe what you’re seeing. 

Without giving anything away the ending I found to be perfect for the film as it leaves space for interpretation. ‘Bad Apples’ is a film that surprises, delights and make you reflect. It’s dark but funny, relatable yet unpredictable and shows a real and raw look into school life, choices we make and community. I laughed, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I felt for the characters, I was shocked by some events and I left thinking about my own experience in school both the chaos and the beauty of it.