Premiering to much critical acclaim at Cannes in 2023, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner’s new dark satire, “Club Zero,” lands in U.S. theaters today, Friday, March 15. Starring Mia Wasikowska (“Bergman Island,” “The Devil All the Time”), it centers on a young teacher who takes a job at an elite school and forms a strong bond with five students—a relationship that eventually takes a dangerous turn. It’s been described as a satirical thriller, body horror, and pitch-black comedy tied to food and consumerism, so clearly, Hausner, known for “Amour Fou” and “Little Joe,” has cooked up something layered and complex.
The film co-stars Sidse Babett Knudsen (“After The Wedding,” “The Duke of Burgundy”), Elsa Zylberstein, Mathieu Demy, Amir El-Masry, Ksenia Devriendt, Luke Barker, Florence Baker, and Samuel D Anderson.
Here’s the official synopsis:
At an international boarding school, an unassuming yet rigorous Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) joins the teaching staff to instruct a new class on “conscious eating.” Her impressionable teenage students each have their own reasons for joining the class – to improve fitness, reduce their carbon footprint, or get extra credit. Although early lectures focus on mindful consumption, Miss Novak’s discussions soon become increasingly disordered and extreme. A suspicious headmistress, concerned parents and the failing health of her students lead everyone to question the inscrutable Miss Novak’s motivations for teaching the class. As a few devoted pupils fall deeper under her cult-like tutelage, they are given a new, even more sinister goal to aspire to – joining the ominous “Club Zero.”
Film Movement opens “Club Zero” at the IFC Center in NYC; today and next week, it’s in L.A., followed by numerous other markets. We’ve got an exclusive clip from the film that you can watch alongside the film’s trailer.
