The female-led Finnish psycho thriller is handled globally by Paris-based Lagardère Studios Distribution.

Partly inspired by the true story of a former mental hospital for women on the Seili (Själö in Swedish) island in the Baltic Sea, Bad Apples (Mädät omenat) is co-directed by the established Marja Pyykkö (The Paradise) and Pamela Tola (Ladies of Steel).

The eight-part series is co-created by Fire Monkey’s co-founders, writer Mikko Pölla and executive producer Roope Lehtinen, as well as Mia Ylönen (Moscow Noir), who serves as head-writer. Co-writers are Ulla Heikkilä (Eden), Mikko Myllylahti (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) and Tuomas Lento-Hukkinen.

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Set in a psychiatric hospital for women on a remote island in the 1970s, the story centres on the young activist student Onerva, who is sent there against her will, as both her husband and the local authorities have depicted her as an aggressive troublemaker. While trying to maintain her sanity, Onerva investigates the reality behind the controversial treatment practices at the medical institution.

Next to rising talent Satu Tuuli Karhu (Eden, Happier Times Grump) who plays the title role are Armi Toivanen (The Paradise), Anna-Leena Härkönen (Downshifters, Nurses), Santeri Kinnunen (Bordertown), Sonja Kuittinen (Miami) and Marjaana Maijala (Hooked).

Pyykkö said “the fates of the female characters in Bad Apples are multi-layered, and full of action and emotional surprises. The themes of loyalty, friendship, and generally accepted norms are a powerful fuel for drama. Absurd situations in the women’s mental hospital create even comic moments. The series was wonderful to make, and the actors are simply brilliant.”

“The series deals with the topical and important themes of mental health, the demands of society, the status of women, and the freedom of woman and man,” added Tola who mentioned that she has never worked on a show that offers “so many multi-dimensional roles for both women and men.”

Head-writer Ylönen who stayed on the island of Seili in a former patient’s room during research and studied the medical institution’s history, also looked into its archives and the patients’ correspondence, kept in the Finnish National Archives in Turku.

Bad Apples was produced by Fire Monkey for Elisa Viihde Viaplay, in co-production with Estonia’s Stellar Film, in association with Nelonen Media, support from the Finnish Film Foundation and the Estonian Film Institute.

The series is the latest collaboration between Lagardère Studios (LS) Distribution, part of French Mediawan Group, and Finland’s major streamer Elisa Viihde Viaplay after the crime series Arctic Circle.