BAD APPLES
(15) 101mins
★★★★★
IT has long been a conversation that teachers have little or no power when dealing with disruptive children in their class.
They are sworn at, screamed at and even smacked without being able to retaliate.
Saoirse Ronan as teacher Maria – who snaps under the pressure of feral pupil Danny Credit: Alamy
Eddie Waller as schoolboy Danny Credit: PA
So what would happen if one highly stressed educator snapped, took a naughty kid out of class and tied him up in her basement for the good of that class?
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This is the story of a wonderfully dark comedy that is both thrilling and uncomfortably hilarious.
Maria, played by Saoirse Ronan, is a primary school teacher with a fading passion for the job, mostly because of her feral student Danny (Eddie Waller).
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He disrupts every single moment, causing chaos and violence.
And Maria knows she will be sacked if she can’t control him. So when she hears about an impending Ofsted inspection, she takes matters, or rather Danny, into her own hands.
After a scuffle while Danny is vandalising cars, Maria accidentally knocks the boy unconscious and panics when he threatens to report her to the police.
It’s the Ofsted inspection the following day, so she decides to lock him in her soundproof basement for the day. Which he obviously smashes up. Maria then feigns ignorance at his disappearance, and the bad boy in her cellar becomes a permanent resident.
Directed by Jonatan Etzler, the film’s slow descent into madness plays out beautifully, with Ronan giving a brilliant performance as the complicated Maria.
She makes this crazy decision feel understandable, and her anxieties feel palpable. Maria’s decision may seem unhinged, but there are moments of clarity when you can’t help thinking: “Maybe it is for the best.”
The script, by Jess O’Kane, makes Maria’s actions concerningly easy to sympathise with.
Newcomer Waller plays the aggressive and, ultimately, broken boy with vigour and a maturity that shows he understands the complex character.
While there are many dark laughs, there’s also the sadness of a young boy few people care about, tied up in a basement, and the pair form a strangely comforting relationship.
It felt like this film didn’t know how to end, with the pace and characters changing a little too dramatically.
But it is still a wicked wink at the rotten system so many teachers currently find themselves in.
SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM
(U) 80mins
★★★★☆
Shaun the Sheep’s latest Halloween adventure is a clever, funny and wonderfully silly treat for all the family Credit: PA
SET around Halloween, this third in Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep stop-motion series is another cleverly written, funny film.
Effectively a silent movie, there are no words, but a variety of clever noises and a constant score make it easy to follow.
This bold crew of sheep, who first appeared in the 1995 Wallace & Gromit short A Close Shave, get into adventures in the sleepy village of Mossy Bottom.
A sheep farmer (John Sparkes), who owns the land where Shaun and his gang live, has a crush on the local vet (Nina Sosanya) but is too shy to invite her to the Halloween dance.
Meanwhile, the sheep grow their own pumpkins with which to make lanterns for the big day. But the clumsy farmer accidentally turns the veg into mush.
To solve the problem, Shaun consults a children’s science book and cooks up a serum to grow supersized new pumpkins from a rescued seed.
Some of the liquid finds its way on to the farmer’s balding head, turning him into a beast of the fields.
This hilarious, clever film is typically sharp in humour. Perfect for all the family.
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CYCLE OF LOVE
(12A) 98mins
★★★★☆
This extraordinary true story of a man who cycled from India to Sweden for love is a deeply moving tale of hope, determination and romance Credit: PA
THIS beautifully crafted movie about the power of love is part drama, part documentary.
Astonishingly, it is the true story of PK Mahanandia, an Indian street artist who grew up as an Untouchable, the cruel name for the lowest class in the country.
A smiling, older PK tells the story of meeting a Swedish tourist, Lotta, in 1977, who sat for a portrait.
The pair connected on an extraordinary level in that moment and PK fell helplessly in love with Lotta. With no money or idea where Sweden was, he bought a bike and set off with no map, some drawing materials, and a bag of dried fruit to find Lotta.
He roams inhospitable deserts and snowy mountains, meeting many characters along the way but with no idea if Lotta would even accept him if he did find her.
Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and executive-produced by Priyanka Chopra, this powerful story of hope, love, and relentless optimism comes to life by slicing present-day interviews with recreated 1977 footage.
I defy anyone to watch it to the end without tears rolling down their face.
