“Maybe you need to consider that what you think is true might not be true after all,” a beautiful, starving teenage girl (Ksenia Devriendt) scolds her parents as they beg through her bedroom door for her to eat. The green-yellow bags under her eyes echo a hue found throughout acclaimed Austrian director Jessica Hausner’s (Little Joe, Amour Fou) latest film: her school uniform’s baggy sweatshirts and neat polos, the school’s empty cafeteria trays, and the destination of the faithful members of Club Zero.
The psychological, dark, comic, disturbing, and ultimately undefinable Club Zero follows star Mia Wasikowska’s (Bergman Island, Crimson Peak) Ms. Novak as she molds the minds and bodies of several teenage students at a prestigious private school through her “conscious eating” lessons. She provides one-size-fits-small solutions to all her students’ problems. Whether wanting to enhance academic or athletic performance, or to rebel against absent or hypercritical parents, the solution is simple: stop eating so much. Then less. Then nothing at all. By introducing “next levels” to conscious eating, like something out of a cult, Ms. Novak preys on wealthy-yet-vulnerable teens by promising them visibility and belonging. Club Zero goes beyond skewering diet and wellness culture (though it certainly does plenty of that) and uses the universal experience of eating to explore heady topics like faith, truth, and the use of manipulation in belief systems.
Novak’s close relationships with her students – she takes an especially keen interest in the lonely ballet dancer and diabetic Freddy (Luke Barker) - give her power and influence over them both inside and out of the classroom. Like an omniscient voice of guilt when they dare to consume food, cinematographer Martin Gschlacht’s camera doesn’t even have to show Wasikowska’s face to communicate her authority over the children: her body stands perfectly still and looms over the unconsciously dining Ben (Samuel D. Anderson) in the lunchroom and her voice reminds him that his grade depends upon his commitment to the program.
But soon her authoritarian presence is no longer necessary to encourage their eating habits, or lack thereof: the students police each other. They cut their single potato wedges into small bits in between deep breaths, eyeing one another with suspicion. One would-be-sweet romantic moment ends abruptly when Freddy smells food on the traitorous Ragna (Florence Baker)’s breath. What starts as a health and wellness class led by an “expert” leads to students turning on each other, their parents, and society altogether to join the ranks of Ms. Novak’s Club Zero.
Jessica Hausner’s Club Zero, co-written by Géraldine Bajard, unsettles viewers in its matter-of-fact tone as the plot escalates and the students and their teacher aspire to starvation and salvation. The film’s examination of religious fervor and groupthink could prompt nuanced conversations in religious studies classes, as well as in certain psychology courses. A dark and disturbing plot combined with light and meticulous aesthetics – anchored by yet another brave performance from Mia Wasikowska – make Club Zero a must-watch arthouse thriller that belongs on any narrative film collection’s shelves.
What kind of film series would Club Zero fit in?
Club Zero would make for an original and unexpected addition to a film series about faith on film. The movie would also fit into retrospectives of Jessica Hausner’s filmography as a director or Mia Wasikowska’s impressive acting career.
What kind of film collection would Club Zero be suitable for?
Club Zero would be suitable in any collection of drama, thriller, or international films, though the film is in English.
What academic subjects would Club Zero be suitable for?
Club Zero would be suitable for academic courses studying religion, psychology, and especially group psychology. Content warnings for eating disorders would be advised prior to classroom screenings.