Review: Club Zero – Nutritious viewing

Directed by Jessica Hausner
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Luke Barker, Ksenia Devriendt, Sidse Babett Knudsen

8/10

The concept for this movie is very interesting and intriguing: a contemporary look at very rich private school students who are coaxed into a disturbing eating philosophy by their school’s dietician. Club Zero takes this concept and creates tension by showing how the world of conscious eating can turn into something resembling a cult.

Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) is the dietitian consultant at an elite high school who presides over eight students who wish to eat better for themselves and for the planet as a whole. Miss Novak not only instructs them to simply eat less but to eat with a thoughtful mind, meditating on each bite of food they eat.

Most of the students are highly receptive to her ideas, even when she introduces them to the mysterious Club Zero. But her instructions for healthier and more ‘socially conscious’ eating seem much less like a diet and more like an eating disorder.

There’s a strong insinuation that members of Club Zero have trained themselves to never need to eat at all. This kind of ridiculous idea does sound like something you’d hear from a dangerous ‘food expert’ on social media, which makes this film seem so credible with how it shows how such dangerous ideas can be passed onto vulnerable and susceptible young students.

As fascinating and disturbing as the film is, it may struggle to find its footing with a conclusion. Perhaps if it had gone with something zanier, it would’ve been more memorable. On the other hand, it’s the lack of clarity of Club Zero’s goals that makes it sound all the more sinister.

This film may not be for everyone, as it feels so stark, blunt, and even a little emotionless and detached with how it presents itself, not to mention how revolting it gets towards the end, so if you’re going to see this, see it on an empty stomach. But for those with an open mind (and open stomach) for this kind of edifying social study, there’s plenty to love about this quirky, inquisitive, and darkly curious film, no matter how disgusting and unappetising it gets.

DAVID MORGAN-BROWN