'Bad Apples' Director Jonatan Etzler on Morality, Education & Creating the Film’s Villains
By Shauna Bushe - September 9, 2026
Movies - Features - Interviews
With Bad Apples, director Jonatan Etzler delivers a darkly funny and deeply uncomfortable exploration of education, morality and the lengths people can go to when faced with someone who refuses to fit in.
Drawing on his own experiences working in education, Etzler turns the classroom into the setting for a story that constantly challenges the audience’s perception of right and wrong. As the situation surrounding troublesome student Danny spirals further out of control, Bad Apples asks some uncomfortable questions about who the real “bad apples” are.
Following our viewing of the film, Film Focus Online sat down with Jonatan Etzler to discuss the inspiration behind Bad Apples, his experiences in education, working with first-time actors Eddie Waller and Nia Brown, the film’s challenging morality and that thought-provoking ending.
UPDATE: Our full video interview with Jonatan Etzler is available to watch below.
Read our full conversation below.
Shauna: This film felt extremely uncomfortable, but at times equally hilarious. Honestly, congratulations on it. I had an absolute blast with it. I went in blind, and that was by far the best experience. It's definitely a film to go into blind with.
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, that's great. Yeah, I think that's what you should do. Of course, it's always hard to sell a film without telling people what it's about, but I think if anybody already knows that they want to watch it, maybe they should turn off the interview now, watch the film, and then finish watching the interview.
Shauna: Yeah, yeah. Beware, there could be some spoilers in here, folks.
So, knowing you came into this film with a background in education, how did your first-hand experience in the classroom shape your storytelling? And what does the concept of "bad apples" mean to you?
Jonatan Etzler: Well, I worked a bit as a film teacher who travelled around to different schools to teach children about how to make films, basically. It was like when you have a dancer coming to school teaching people how to dance, or things like that.
It was great, and I really felt like I wanted to inspire them, but it was also kind of hard, you know? You go into that classroom with all those great intentions, but then you're just run over by this group of uncontrollable children, basically.
So that definitely was something that shaped me. I felt like somebody should tell that story about what it's like to be a teacher, basically, but in a fun way. I mean, it's a fun film about how hard it is to be a teacher, for me.
Shauna: Yeah, it is. I can't imagine what it's like to be a teacher. Personally, I have worked with kids, so I kind of have an understanding, and I guess a part of me resonated with the film in that respect as well.
Because, particularly with this film, there is often a strange relationship between sympathy and discomfort when working with kids or in that kind of environment. What do you want the audience to feel specifically about the characters they're watching?
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, I think it's interesting because when I've shown this film, people do kind of sympathise with Maria. She goes through all these bad decisions in the beginning, and the last and worst one is locking this kid up in her basement.
And people feel like, "Yeah, that was the right thing to do," because you've gone through this journey with her. And then they think, "Oh, but what did I just sympathise with? I just thought it was the right thing to lock up a kid."
It's quite interesting to see it with an audience because it makes you question your own morality, basically.
Shauna: Yeah, that's the part that I was almost not struggling with, but that kind of left me uncomfortable. Because I was like, I understand. Obviously, the classroom then thrives without Danny's presence, and even the parents want the success for their own kids because they see how they're thriving without Danny.
So it is a challenge for your own morals, but you also can't help but feel relieved at the same time. So it's quite a challenge.
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, yeah, it is. And it poses a lot of morally challenging questions, I think. Or, at least, that's what I wanted it to do.
How do we treat people who can't fit into the society that we've created? I think that was something that challenged me and my morality, and it made me want to explore it further.
Shauna: Yeah. If you peel back the layers of the movie, specifically Danny, you realise that he is the way he is because of things around him. His father's working all the time, so his job is taking him away from him. He can't read or write, and that challenges him as well. That brings out the rage and frustration.
Peeling back those layers also makes you kind of sympathise with Danny himself rather than the other people around him. Because if you look at it, a lot of the characters are just as bad as Danny.
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, they are. And it's not like he's definitely the bad apple, I think.
That's why the film is called Bad Apples, because he's not the only one. And I think maybe he isn't even a bad apple. Maybe the parents are the bad apples at the end, or the education system are the bad apples, basically.
Shauna: Well, yeah. In terms of the English expression, when you call someone a bad apple, it's because they are rotten to the core. The perfect apple can then infiltrate the rest of the apples, making them bad.
Just like Danny was part of a bunch of apples that affected him in a way.
So it's all Danny's fault, unfortunately, but he was a terror to watch. He was lethal, but he was absolutely fun to watch. I loved his chemistry with Saoirse Ronan as well.
Were there any difficult aspects to execute between them, whether with choreography or emotionally?
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, I mean, it was, of course, interesting working with both of them. There was, of course, Eddie Waller, who plays Danny. He had never acted in front of the camera before, whereas Saoirse has been acting since she was like seven or something like that, and she's been on so many movie sets.
So that was, in a way, quite good because she could also help out. She could help him and the other children as well.
But yeah, in terms of difficult scenes, the one that I was most nervous about was the first classroom scene with Danny. Because if that didn't work, then the film wouldn't work and the story wouldn't work.
We did that in the middle of the shoot, and I was quite anxious beforehand.
But then we shot it and Eddie was just amazing. He scared everyone. And then I was so relieved because I knew, "Yeah, this film is going to work and people are going to understand it."
I was truly happy when we had shot that scene.
Shauna: Yeah. From the first moment he enters the classroom, he holds such a force. It's written all over his face. It's in his body language. The moment he sits down and immediately just destroys the table in the classroom, from the offset his entire demeanour was... Yeah, I was hooked.
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, yeah. That's great to hear. I'm so happy that he's now given the attention that he deserves. I think now that this film is released, he's an amazing actor.
Also, Nia Brown, who plays Pauline, who's like the true villain maybe of the film.
Shauna: Yeah, yeah. He's so amazing.
And she was so impressive too. She had never been in front of the camera either, you know? She was just blowing... I mean, she was just impressing everyone with her performance.
Shauna: I found Pauline to be quite intimidating. I think I'd rather face off with Danny than her, to be honest.
Jonatan Etzler: Yeah, yeah. She seems quite intimidating.
Shauna: I can see why. Maria's character was very forthcoming to everything Pauline demanded. She was like, "Yes, anything you say, I will do."
The ending kind of leaves you in a state of the unknown. How important is ambiguity to you? Do you believe that giving all of the answers to the audience is right, or do you prefer to leave a few things unfinished?
Jonatan Etzler: I mean, it's interesting. I honestly didn't see it as such an ambiguous ending. I know a lot of people have said that, and maybe it's because, you know...
I guess when you think about what happens to this boy, what sort of future does he actually have? But I think, in a sense, you know she's going to get caught. She's there on stage getting all the applause, but she's had it coming and now she's going to get what she deserves.
And he's free, and he's running away. But I guess, when you start thinking about it, what actually is he going to do now? This whole community has turned against him.
So, I mean, it's an interesting thing to talk about. I think that ending... But to me, I didn't see it. I saw it more as a clearer expression of freedom, I guess.
Shauna: I like that idea. That's a great takeaway.
Well, just one final question. When the audience leaves the screening, what feeling do you want lingering after they've watched the movie? What do you want them to feel or take away from this piece of Bad Apples?
Jonatan Etzler: I mean, I think people who watch this film, they are usually quite... They've been through such an emotional ride, such an emotional rollercoaster. They've been laughing and crying and gasping for air because it is quite an intense experience.
I think, first, probably they're going to have to rest a bit after watching this. And then afterwards, I think they're going to start thinking and asking themselves, "How do we actually treat people who can't fit in?"
And, "What happens when we lock them up?" And, "How do I actually feel about being complicit in the suffering of others?"
There are all those sorts of questions that I really hope can spark debate among the people who watch it.
Shauna: Well, it definitely sparked a debate between me and my partner when we watched it. But we loved it. We absolutely loved the film.
It was still funny, it was uncomfortable, but a very great film that challenges a lot of morals and stuff.
So yeah, I'm glad to hear that the film is doing really well. I've heard loads of positive things.
Awesome. Great work. It was really lovely to meet you, so thank you for your time.
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Shauna Bushe
Writer
Shauna is always down to talk about movie lore, collector of all things physical media and driven by a life long love for horror cinema.
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