Educational immersion in Jessica Hausner’s mysterious Club Zero
Cannes has followed the films of Jessica Hausner since her debut. Her school film Inter-View received a Special Mention as part of the Cinéfondation in 1999, her first feature film Lovely Rita was selected for Un Certain Regard in 2001, and her first entry In Competition was in 2019 with Joe. The Austrian director is once again a candidate for the Palme D’Or with Club Zero.
A private school, somewhere, some time. The newest member of the staff, Miss Novak, proposes a novel course on nutrition. Soon, her students become devoted followers under her influence, all joined together as part of the mysterious Club Zero.
Jessica Hausner continues to question our times in this film. As a subtext, she addresses the responsibility adults have towards children; that of parents on one hand, who don’t devote enough time to their progeny, and teachers on the other, who are often mistrusted and undervalued. The director highlights a society that considers work and success life’s most important goals.
“We live within a meritocracy-based system that obliges us to work more and more. I feel that the failure of parents is systemic.”
To reinforce this disconnect with parents, Jessica Hausner decided to place her students in a boarding school. Club Zero also addresses teenage issues such as their relationship with food and group mentality.
The film reveals no indication of time or place, an effect accentuated by the use of English, a universal language, and an international cast. The film’s stars include Australian Mia Wasikowska, Danish Sidse Babett Knudsen, Egyptian Amir El-Masry, and French Elsa Zylberstein.
