Many films throughout the years have delved into the themes of control and manipulation with varying degrees of nuance and detail. Sometimes this is viewed on a mass scale but occasionally a film will come along and focus on it from a smaller, more individual level. This is what Jessica Hausner has decided to explore with her new film Club Zero.
When an international boarding school recruits a new member staff called Miss Novak to teach a conscious eating class, a bond begins to form with her students that becomes progressively more dangerous over time.
To put it bluntly, Club Zero is an uncomfortable watch. It’s a film that looks into the effects of eating disorders in a manner that comes from misinformation and a controlling force. Over the course of the film, Hausner gradually shows the deterioration of these students under Miss Novak’s teachings. It plays out in a cult-like way, how she so easily and quickly convinces these children to adopt her way of thinking by introducing more extreme methods and ideologies as their “studies” continue.
Seeing the mentality and physicality of these children become so increasingly warped and destroyed with time can feel very unnerving and soul destroying as it plays out. This downward spiral is even reflected through the film itself, especially where the colour palette is concerned. The first half of the film is very vibrant and punchy with its colours, almost feeling like a Wes Anderson film at times, but as the students become more devoted to Miss Novak’s ideas and their health takes a turn for the worst, the colour of the film becomes much more muted and grey.
These themes are greatly strengthened by the central performances of the film. Mia Wasikowska brings a certain calming demeanour to Miss Novak that really plays off of the cult-like leader role she has given herself. In her eyes, what she is teaching her students is 100% fact and Wasikowska does a brilliant job of selling the fact Miss Novak believes she is helping them as opposed to killing them. It’s also worth highlighting the young actors playing these brainwashed students as they believably portray their characters and never go too far with their performances. Especially Ksenia Devriendt and Luke Barker who play Elsa and Fred respectively and are the first to become truly enamoured with the conscious eating way of living.
Club Zero is not an easy film to recommend but it is well executed nonetheless. Occasionally, some attempts at dark humour can fall a bit flat considering the severity of the topics it is addressing but for the most part its commitment to the themes and messages it wants to showcase are handled with a fair amount of respect. The performances are the driving force of this film and Hausner makes sure that they are are at the forefront of every scene. Even during its darker moments, it never loses sight of what it has to say.
Club Zero is in UK cinemas from 6th December
