Bad Apples

"It only takes one."

2026 1h 40m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

83%

FRESH

★7.1TMDB · 30🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes

ComedyThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A struggling primary school teacher is forced to take drastic action because of a foul-mouthed, violent student, and uncovers how her community will turn a blind eye to the most outrageous events to preserve harmony and their sense of safety.

“It only takes one.”

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Cast

Saoirse Ronan
Maria
Eddie Waller
Danny
Nia Brown
Pauline
Jacob Anderson
Sam
Rakie Ayola
Sylvia
Sean Gilder
Frank
Robert Emms
Josh
Kerry Howard
PC Williams

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jonatan Etzler
Writers: Jess O'Kane
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jonatan Etzler, shot by Nea Asphäll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chris Roe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Krantz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Saoirse Ronan and Eddie Waller and Nia Brown carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It only takes one.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt29714073 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jonatan Etzler directs. Nea Asphäll behind the camera. Chris Roe scores. Robert Krantz cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Jonatan Etzler, shot by Nea Asphäll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Chris Roe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Robert Krantz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Saoirse Ronan and Eddie Waller and Nia Brown carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It only takes one.".
8IMDB entry: tt29714073 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Nea Asphäll
Original score: Chris Roe
Editing: Robert Krantz
Production design: Jacqueline Abrahams
Costume design: Sarah Blenkinsop
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Bad Apples (2026)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh

Also by

Jonatan Etzler

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2025-10-10
★ 7/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/bad-apples-review/ "Bad Apples is a shocking, original satire, carried by Saoirse Ronan in a state of grace and surprising child performances. Its journey toward the absurd is highly entertaining, but the constant collision between the dramatic weight of the staging and the ridiculousness of the script creates a tonal dissonance that affects its final message and its potential to be one of the most powerful films of the year. It deserves to be seen, debated, and perhaps, to make us question what, after all, a "bad apple" in life truly is." Rating: B
CinemaSerf2026-09-23
★ 7/10
"Danny" (Eddie Waller) is the pupil from hell in the classroom led by his teacher "Maria" (Saoirse Ronan). He likes to throw things - whether it be a shoe into the production line during a visit to a cider factory or the young "Pauline" (Nia Brown) down the stairs. He is just a nightmare - and the head teacher isn't interested in anything but keeping the parents happy and the inspectors off her back. "Maria" decides that an approach to the lad's dad (Robert Emms) might be the solution but that only ends up making matters worse and her basement finds itself with a new lodger (think "9 to 5" (1980) only younger!). With searches going on all around for this miscreant kid, she hopes that by a little one-on-one time and maybe a little more attention and understanding than he is used to, she might be able to turn "Danny" from gorgon to gifted. The question is, of course, how sustainable is this course of action - one made all the more difficult by his determination for freedom and the curiosity of the aforementioned "Pauline" who appears to be in need of some special attention too. It's at it's best, this, when it's just Ronan and the effective young Waller and for a while it's quite a provocative watch peppered with some earthy comedy. There's also something to be said for Brown's portrayal of the mischievous and scheming "Pauline", too, but for me "Maria" and her series of bad and unlikely decisions strayed just a little too far into the realms of ridiculousness before a conclusion that was simply too far-fetched, rushed and possibly suggested there might be more to come. It does successfully illustrate the toxic effects of having one disruptive influence in a classroom (or the workplace, for that matter) and I thought Waller really quite convincing but the film doesn't quite sustain the original courage of it's original convictions and for me it ran out of potency and became a little too safe.