The violence here isn’t physical, but psychological. The stories related by Dussander are extremely graphic too, a chilling perspective of a man who not only committed atrocities, but seemed to take a relish in doing so. The film begins pointedly and ominously, as a teacher closes up his week on the Holocaust with his class by erasing the chalk pie chart of its victims from the board as the camera focuses in on the word Jews. As Todd’s instructions escalate, Dussander’s instinct takes over and he performs a Nazi salute before ignoring Todd completely, scaring the teenager into asking him to stop.Īs that scene demonstrates, the one thing the film is not is subtle. Though Todd initially starts their relationship with all the control, the power dynamics shift throughout, seen most obviously during the scene in which Todd forces Dussander to wear an SS uniform and march on the spot. There’s a radicalisation at work here as Dussander’s mentoring transforms Todd from someone who is merely fascinated with violence to someone who can commit it. With the current rise of the far right across the globe, it’s hard to avoid the resonance in watching Apt Pupil in this current climate. Much of the film is simply conversations between Todd and Dussander, shot in claustrophobic close-ups and odd angles to emphasise the intensity of their developing relationship. Boyce and Singer reworked the novella’s ending and reduced the level of violence in the plot in order to create a more character-driven horror. King had managed to get the rights back to his story and offered the rights to Singer for $1, in the manner of his Dollar Babies scheme. Singer had read the novella when he was 19 and took the chance to produce a spec script with writer Brandon Boyce.
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