CLUB ZERO -- Dry Satire Is Messy, Intriguing

Review by Sean Boelman

Jessica Hausner’s latest film, Club Zero, debuted at the 2023 Cannes Festival to a polarized reception, but that’s nothing new for the Austrian filmmaker. This dark comedy is very edgy and designed to disgust, which will either leave viewers with a foul taste in their mouths or perplexed by what the movie has to offer.

The film follows a teacher who takes a job at an elite private school teaching a class for “healthy eating habits” before forming a close bond with some of her students who form unhealthy obsessions. If you think you know where this story is heading, you don’t, but the result isn’t as satisfying as one might hope.

How successful Hausner’s latest movie is for viewers will depend on how much they vibe with the extremely dry sense of humor. Many moments go for broke and attempt to do something incredibly weird that will either win viewers over or utterly disgust them. If nothing else, it’s undeniably provocative.

If you look at Club Zero for commentary on the surface in relation to its central theme of eating disorders, it’s incredibly shallow — maybe even offensive in its satire. However, the film is much more effective in condemning indoctrination. Hausner and co-writer Géraldine Bajard simply use this extreme example to illustrate the absurdity of the issue they actually want to satirize. Sure, the approach is clumsy, but it’s at least intriguing.

Where Hausner and Bajard’s script begins to fall apart is its characterization. The movie too frequently switches between the teacher's and her students' perspectives. Hausner and Bajard are attempting to strike a balance where the characters aren’t villainized, but their actions are shown to be wrong, and it doesn’t quite work.

Still, Mia Wasikowska’s performance in the lead role is astounding. She is funny, endearing, and a little off-putting — all at once. The character is complicated to a fault, and Wasikowska makes the most out of it. The kids that play her students are all solid, too, but none of them stands out above the rest.

From a technical standpoint, Club Zero is fine, if not all that impressive. There is some interesting production design and costume work that makes good use of color, and the cinematography’s use of centered shots is effectively disquieting. However, much of the filmmaking feels obvious and in service of the satire, which can sometimes be frustrating.

Club Zero has many elements that work well and quite a few more where you see their potential to be something great. The film, understandably, will not work for everyone, but for those willing to meet it on its confrontationally awkward level, it’s a mostly entertaining, somewhat thought-provoking experience.

Club Zero hits theaters on March 15.

Rating: 3/5