A dark comedy thriller about an elementary school teacher who, driven to desperation by a disruptive student, makes the increasingly unjustifiable decision to lock him in her house, leading to a tense moral dilemma as she tries to conceal her actions.
"Bad Apples," directed by Swedish filmmaker Jonatan Etzler and released in Italian theaters on September 10, 2026, is a dark comedy thriller adapted from the Swedish novel "De Oönskade" by Rasmus Andersson (or Lindgren, depending on the source). With a screenplay by Jess O'Kane, the film stars Saoirse Ronan as Maria, an idealistic teacher who, pushed to her limits by an unmanageable student, makes the drastic decision to lock him in her home, triggering a moral dilemma with satirical and tense implications. The cast, which also includes Jacob Anderson, Sean Gilder, and Rakie Ayola, is universally praised, with Ronan delivering a performance of great psychological depth.
Etzler blends black comedy and thriller with a confident hand, maintaining a balanced tone and a tight pace throughout, though the third act is sometimes perceived as slightly rushed. Overall, it is a successful and provocative experiment, recommended for those who appreciate genre hybrids and unconventional narratives.
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