Bad Apples

Maria, a primary school teacher doing her best to inspire a class of 10-year-olds, is stifled by one unruly and chaotic student. With her career in question and the child’s behaviour spiralling, she makes a series of bad decisions that lead to her accidentally taking and locking this “bad apple” in her home. Maria tries desperately to backtrack, but when the class starts flourishing and the staff and parents are thrilled with the improvement, she finds herself in a very complicated predicament.

In Cinemas September 18th, 2026

Overview & Premise

• Core Plot: Bad Apples is a provocative dark comedy-drama following Maria, a primary school teacher doing her best to inspire a class of ten-year-olds. Stifled and threatened professionally by one unruly, chaotic student whose behavior is spiraling, Maria makes a series of questionable decisions that culminate in her accidentally locking the child in her home.

• The Escalation: Though Maria initially tries to backtrack, she discovers that the classroom begins to flourish in the child’s absence, leaving staff and parents thrilled with the sudden improvement. This places her deep inside a complex moral and existential predicament.

Thematic Depth & Director’s Vision

• Utilitarian Philosophy: Director Jonatan Etzler frames the story around utilitarianism—the pursuit of the greatest happiness for the greatest number—asking whether removing and locking away those who do not fit into rigid social systems can be rationalized as a necessary sacrifice for the “greater good”.

• Societal Structures: The film examines how modern society rewards efficiency and conformity, pushing aside anyone who is too sensitive, unruly, or different. Etzler uses recurring visual motifs of squares and boxes across sets and spaces to symbolize these external constraints.

• Satire and Tone: Rather than offering a neat moral message, the film uses dark humor—amplified by the mischievous character Pauline—to give audiences permission to laugh while confronting uncomfortable truths about guilt and collective suffering.

Key Cast & Creative Team

• Jonatan Etzler (Director): A Swedish filmmaker whose thesis film Get Ready with Me won first prize at the Student Academy Awards, and who directed Netflix’s One More Time.

• Jess O’Kane (Writer): A National Film & Television School graduate recognized for award-winning shorts like The Devil’s Harmony (Sundance Jury Prize winner).

• Saoirse Ronan (Maria): Four-time Oscar nominee starring as lead character Maria, bringing extensive acclaim from roles in Little Women, Brooklyn, and The Outrun.

• Supporting Cast: Features Nia Brown as Pauline, alongside Eddie Waller, Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms, and Sean Gilder.

• Production Crew: Produced by Pulse Films and Hanway, with contributions from production designer Jacqueline Abrahams, composer Chris Roe, editor Robert Krantz, cinematographer Nea Harnebrandt Asphäll, casting director Fiona Weir, and costume designer Sarah Blenkinsop.

Production & Distribution

• Release Plans: The feature film is set for an international theatrical distribution rollout via Paramount and Republic Pictures.

Paramount Pictures

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Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment