Saoirse Ronan Shines in the Uneven Dark Comedy Bad Apples

Bad Apples follows a school teacher named Maria, played by Saoirse Ronan, who finds herself in an impossible situation. After a field trip goes wrong, she accidentally ends up kidnapping one of her students, Danny, and keeping him in her basement. Despite this dark setup, the film functions as a dry British comedy that relies on irony and absurdity rather than traditional jokes.

Saoirse Ronan is the clear highlight of the project. She brings incredible sincerity to a role that could easily have felt one dimensional. Her ability to convey complex emotions through facial expressions alone keeps the audience engaged, even when the dialogue fails her. Eddie Waller, who plays the student Danny, also puts in a strong performance that balances anger and vulnerability quite well.

However, the movie hits several snags due to its writing. A supporting character named Pauline is written with such cringeworthy dialogue that she becomes a distraction rather than a meaningful addition. Additionally, the film leaves too much ambiguity regarding Danny's home life and his father, Josh. These missing details prevent the audience from fully understanding the characters and the themes the story tries to explore.

By the time the third act arrives, the film creates a sense of tension that never quite pays off in a satisfying way. The mix of tones, shifting between dark humor and thriller like suspense, makes it hard to know how to feel about the conclusion. Bad Apples is a collection of interesting ideas that unfortunately never quite come together into a coherent story.