# Apt Pupil (1998)

### reviewed by
Nathaniel R. Atcheson

    Apt Pupil (1998)

Director: Bryan Singer Cast: Ian McKellen, Brad Renfro, Bruce Davison, Elias Koteas, Joe Morton, Jan Triska Screenplay: Brandon Boyce Producers: Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy, Bryan Singer Runtime: 111 min. US Distribution: TriStar Rated R: strong violence, language, brief sexuality

By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)

A story about people should have sympathetic characters. Bryan Singer's Apt Pupil, which is based on a novella by Stephen King, is a story that centers around a strikingly unpleasant teenager and a Nazi general in hiding. These characters are well-drawn and created with charisma by the actors, but they're not nice people. In fact, they're both monsters in their own ways, and I think that this is the point of the film. But, by the end of the picture, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth: here is a story about a smart kid who acquires first-hand information about the Holocaust, and becomes a beast of a human being as a result.

What happened to the old-fashioned lessons, like "learn from your mistakes?" Or, perhaps, "learn from the mistakes of others?" Apt Pupil, though a riveting cinematic experience, is a deeply cynical look at human nature. I really can't say why without giving away the end, but I can say this: the only thing the characters learn from their mistakes are ways to escape consequences in the future. I wonder if this was Singer's purpose; his last film, The Usual Suspects, was also about bad people, but most of them had likable traits. The only people who win our sympathy in Apt Pupil end up emotionally scorned or brutally murdered.

The teenager's name is Todd Boden, and is played by Brad Renfro. Todd is a straight-A student; the film opens just as he becomes obsessed with Nazi Germany after his history class covers the subject for a week. One day, while riding the bus, he notices an old man get on and sit behind him; Todd recognizes him as a Nazi general that he had seen in text books. One month passes, and Todd finally knocks on the old man's door. His name, apparently, is Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen), and Todd has a proposal for him.

He wants to know all about the Holocaust, about "the things they won't tell us in school." Why should Dussander tell him anything? Well, Todd has assembled pictures and fingerprints, and is giving him no choice: if he doesn't tell his stories, Todd will go to the police with his evidence. So Dussander agrees, and he tells Todd his stories. Every day, after school, Todd goes to Dussander's house, absorbing more and more of the truly awful stories that Dussander has to offer. Todd begins to falter in school, and soon the tides turn -- Dussander takes control of the situation.

It's an original premise, and a gripping film. Singer is a sharp director; his techniques are subtle -- scenes build tension without the use of intrusive music or intricate camerawork. But holocaust material isn't exactly audience-friendly; there are scenes here that seem to lack taste and judgement. There's a scene in which Todd is showering and imagining himself among Jews in a concentration camp; the men around him are sickly and thin, and while it's an effective image, it seems present more to manipulate than to inform. Singer doesn't approach the subject with care; in fact, the Holocaust really isn't under examination here. What's interesting is the dynamic between Todd and Dussander.

It's just too bad that both characters are so hateful. Dussander is supposed to an enigma, and, for a while, he is: at first, it seems that he believed that the experiments he was "forced" to perform were simply things that "needed to be done." Later, though, it's clear that he's lying: he enjoyed torturing the Jews. This is never spoken outright, but McKellen's performance -- which is one of the best this year -- is so darkly clever that it's impossible to miss Dussander's true feelings in the matter. He is a Jew hater, and he always will be.

But Todd, played ambitiously by Renfro, is not a hero. He forces Dussander to tell his stories, blackmailing him with incriminating information. It's too soon to feel hatred for Dussander at this point, so Todd seems more malicious than founded in his demands. Later, Todd comes across as downright sadistic -- one of the film's most perplexing and most disturbing scenes has Todd forcing Dussander to put on a Nazi costume and march by his command. Singer films this segment with perfect harshness, but, by the end of it, Todd seems more psychotic than Dussander.

That's a crucial flaw when you're dealing with a story as intense as this. Only two characters win our affections by the end: the school guidance counselor (effectively portrayed by David Schwimmer), and a homeless man (Elias Koteas) willing to sell his body for a shower and a place to sleep. Without a place to send our emotions, Apt Pupil strikes as deeply unpleasant experience: a disturbing, completely engrossing film that makes you feel bad and doesn't manage to convey any solid message. It's a disappointment, really, given the talent involved. I don't recommend that you avoid the film -- no, it's too powerful to dismiss. Just be warned that Apt Pupil is meticulously unpleasant in almost every way, and I'm not sure why it needed to be.

    **1/2 out of ****
    (6/10, C+)

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               Nathaniel R. Atcheson

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