At elite school, new teacher, Miss Novak, leads her class in an unconventional series of lessons and theory that we don’t need to eat. One by one, each of her students falls under her spell and beliefs. Even after there is resistance from the students’ parents, the bond created in the classroom is strong, resulting in an event no one would have predicted.
Jessica Hausner has a knack for creating an uncomfortable and foreboding atmosphere. It has been present in her previous films, especially in her last film, Little Joe. From the very start of Club Zero, we are introduced to Miss Novak (played to unnerving perfection by Mia Wasikowska) who comes across as someone to be vary of. Her demeanour and very soon after, her open attitude to eating and consuming food gives the impression that we are to expect unconventional and somewhat persistent behaviour from her. The slow and sinister affect she has on her students does not come as a shock but more like an eventual horror. Hausner is able to convey this sinister feeling throughout without being too overt in her intentions. We know something will happen to these students; we just don’t know what.
Hausner clearly has a distinct style of filmmaking and particular aesthetic that compliments her storytelling. There is no indication where the film is set, the clothes all feel like a mixture of genres and the art direction is carefully curated to make one feel that this is not a story from the world we know. Within the story itself there are science fiction elements that creep in ever so slightly and its mirrored in the styles of the film. But at the root of the story is more like a cult; an enigmatic mysterious character appears and convinces a group to follow them in their beliefs, cutting them off from family and friends and eventually to giving up everything for them.
Although the style and sinister atmosphere is intriguing to start with, the film does descend into an incoherent and somewhat frustrating narrative. There is no clear end and there is no clear or satisfying direction. Though if you are a fan of Hausner’s work, this will be a fascinating film but for anyone not familiar with her previous films may find this, overall, a tedious watch.