A Provocative Psychological Drama from Jessica Hausner

Directed by Jessica Hausner, Club Zero is a chilling and meticulously controlled exploration of belief, authority and vulnerability. Known for her precise visual language and darkly ironic tone, Hausner approaches the film with cool restraint, allowing unease to build gradually beneath its ordered surfaces.

Set within an elite international boarding school, the story follows Miss Novak, a new teacher whose teachings on “conscious eating” initially appear benign, even progressive. As her influence deepens, a group of students begin to withdraw from their families and peers, embracing an increasingly extreme philosophy. Hausner resists sensationalism, instead focusing on the subtle mechanics of persuasion - how language, ritual and structure can quietly transform care into control.

The film’s power lies in its refusal to provide easy explanations or moral comfort. Authority figures hesitate, parents misread warning signs, and institutional frameworks fail to intervene, creating a vacuum in which ideology flourishes. Through its composed framing and deliberate pacing, Club Zero examines how autonomy can be eroded in plain sight, and how the desire for certainty and belonging can make even the most dangerous ideas feel seductive. The result is an unsettling, quietly devastating work that lingers long after it ends.