At Cannes, The Appetite Suppressor Film That Ruben Østlund Wouldn’t Reject

Kids who stop eating and society falters: The Cannes Film Festival went on an appetite suppressant diet Monday with “Club Zero,” a cynical satire that jury president Ruben Østlund won’t deny.

The film, which begins with a warning to those who may be suffering from eating disorders, contains an explicit and perhaps even more sickening vomiting scene—which the Swede told festival-goers last year ” Introduced in “sans filtre”. “, which won the Palme d’Or.

“Nutrition is a way of showing the codes and rules that govern our society,” director Jessica Hausner told AFP. “When, at dinner, one person does not eat, others feel guilty or offended. This shows how strict and important (food) rules are in society”.

He added that the harrowing scene “isn’t meant to make people uncomfortable. It’s meant to show how bigotry works.”

The feature film, as a whole, denounces the neurosis of contemporary societies, the educational shortcomings of wealthy families, inertia in the face of climate change, or the obsession with “healthy food”, with irony and condemnation.

“Club Zero” takes place at a prestigious school in an undisclosed European country.

It revolves around a group of teenagers under the influence of Ms. Novak, played by Mia Wasikowska, a teacher who advocates “conscious eating”, going so far as to wean herself off food entirely. deprives and puts the lives of all the students at stake.

“Sometimes I compare myself to someone who comes from another planet, who looks at us and (I think) what this person would think,” said the Austrian director.

– true believers –

Beyond eating disorders and communal deviance, the film reflects the concerns of the younger generation facing climate change and inequalities.

“I still think, if I were a teenager now, I would be very intimidated by the world that we’ve inherited,” Mia Wasikowska told AFP.

To prepare for the film, the actress, seen in Jessica Hausner and Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” researched cults and cults.

To the director, the teacher had to be honest in his beliefs rather than a manipulator. “She’s a true believer and she really believes she’s doing the right thing,” Wasikowska described.

Jessica Hausner continued, adding that the kids and Ms. Novak “start to believe something that we would normally consider to be false and crazy.” It is very difficult to accept people who sincerely believe in destructive or destructive ideas.

His last feature, “Little Joe”, was in competition at Cannes in 2019 and won an interpretation award for actress Emily Beecham.

Like this film, “Club Zero” includes a complete work on the colors and geometry of the decorations.

“I don’t set films in any particular time or place. I try to create an artificial visual style,” said the director, who says she is “bored” of naturalism.