Club Zero
18Our relationship with food has always been complex; every day there appears to be a new fad, or stories claiming one week that red wine is bad for us, followed by more stories the next week that it’s actually beneficial.
It’s particularly difficult for the youth, especially with social media pitching in on their feeds telling them what they should or shouldn’t be eating.
This film follows a group of students who are captivated by a new way of eating, and the teacher who educates them of it.
Starting her first day as a teacher at an elite school is Ms Novak (Mia Wasikowska). She has a small class of seven students whom she’s teaching about nutrition. However, it by no means follows any curriculum, with Ms Novak having her own syllabus that her students become captivated by.
However, her methods are extreme, which if followed, are likely to put the health of her students in serious danger.
Jessica Hausner’s latest film won’t be to everyone’s taste. The Austrian writer and director has served up a curious effort that sadly is all style over substance.
It has an old school indie European feel about it, with a certain look and feel throughout; it comes across at times like a Habitat X IKEA advert, with its stylish furniture in accommodating spaces.
The problem arises with the emotionally monotone nature of the film, which carries through to the performances; they are stilted, much like the dialogue itself, and very rarely deviate from the singular tone. It would possibly be more appealing if there was less of it, but at ten minutes shy of two hours, it very much outstays its welcome.
It makes some interesting points, not only about the relationship we have with food, but also our relationships with others regarding food, such as peers and parents, who can have such a significant impact on our thinking, both positive and negative.
Unfortunately though, it’s very much like that frozen dinner you bought that looks so enticing on the packet, but once you pulled it out of the microwave and peeled back that thin veil of plastic, there was very little there to get excited about.