Saoirse Ronan’s Dark New Comedy Turns a Teacher’s Worst Nightmare Into a Twisted Story You Can’t Look Away From

Saoirse Ronan puts on a brilliant performance (Picture: Republic Pictures via AP)

Saoirse Ronan takes a sharp turn into dark comedy in Bad Apples, a bizarre and increasingly unsettling story about a struggling teacher whose desperate response to one disruptive student spirals far beyond anything she intended.

Directed by Jonatan Etzler and adapted from Rasmus Lindgren’s Swedish-language novel De Oönskade (The Unwanted), the film places its outrageous premise inside an overstretched English school system, where exhausted staff are expected to solve problems without the resources they need.

The result is a movie that is deliberately uncomfortable, frequently funny and difficult to stop watching — even when its story begins pushing into increasingly absurd territory.

A Teacher Reaches Her Breaking Point

This absurd comedy is as dark as it is funny (Picture: Republic Pictures via AP)

Ronan stars as Miss Spencer, a teacher who once entered the profession believing she could make a difference.

That optimism has largely disappeared.

One of her greatest challenges is Danny, played by Eddie Waller, a neglected and deeply troubled student whose volatile behavior repeatedly disrupts the classroom. The school lacks the resources to provide the support he needs, leaving Miss Spencer increasingly overwhelmed.

Then one confrontation changes everything.

In a moment of desperation, Miss Spencer accidentally locks Danny in her basement. What begins as a terrible mistake soon becomes something much more deliberate when she decides not to release him.

From there, the film turns its disturbing setup into an escalating dark comedy about one disastrous decision creating another.

Saoirse Ronan Shows a Different Side

The plot does start to fall apart somewhat in the third act (Picture: Republic Pictures via AP)

Ronan is best known for emotionally demanding dramatic performances, but Bad Apples gives her an opportunity to lean heavily into comedy.

Her Miss Spencer remains emotionally believable even as the circumstances surrounding her become increasingly ridiculous.

Some of the film’s funniest sequences rely on awkwardness rather than huge jokes. One scene involving Miss Spencer attempting to have a package scanned by Danny’s grieving father turns an uncomfortable encounter into physical comedy.

Ronan’s restrained delivery helps sell those moments without losing sight of how troubling the underlying situation actually is.

Waller also proves an effective screen partner, with the pair maintaining a convincing dynamic even as the story becomes progressively more chaotic.

Danny’s Absence Changes More Than Expected

TRAILER BELOW

The film’s darkest joke emerges from what happens at the school after Danny disappears.

Without him there, the lives of people around the school begin changing in unexpected ways — and sometimes seemingly for the better.

That creates the movie’s most uncomfortable tension. Viewers may briefly find themselves sympathizing with Miss Spencer before the reality of what she has done comes crashing back into focus.

Meanwhile, her students become increasingly involved in the chaos, leaving their teacher trapped inside a problem largely of her own making.

It is this constant movement between comedy and something far more disturbing that gives Bad Apples its morbid fascination.

A Strong Ride That Becomes Shakier Near the End

The premise carries the film effectively through much of its 100-minute runtime, but the third act struggles to maintain the same confidence.

As Miss Spencer’s predicament reaches its extremes, the story appears less certain about exactly how far it wants to push its central idea.

That uncertainty ultimately produces a less satisfying conclusion than the setup promises.

Still, the performances and character dynamics keep the film engaging even when the plot begins to wobble.

Bad Apples is not necessarily attempting to reinvent British dark comedy. Instead, it takes an alarming premise, pushes it toward absurdity and allows Ronan to demonstrate a comic side audiences may not usually associate with her.

For viewers who enjoy stories where ordinary people make one terrible decision and then keep digging themselves deeper, it makes for a strange, dark and compulsively watchable ride.

Bad Apples, starring Saoirse Ronan, Jacob Anderson and Eddie Waller, has a runtime of one hour and 40 minutes and is in UK and Ireland cinemas from September 18.