The film, which opens with a warning advising against it for people who may have suffered from eating disorders, contains an explicit and perhaps even more sickening vomit scene than the one – endless – that the Swede had offered last year to festival-goers in "Without a Filter", which won the Palme d'Or.

"Nutrition is a way to show the codes and rules that govern our society," director Jessica Hausner told AFP. "When a person doesn't eat at a dinner party, others feel guilty or offended. It shows how strict and important (food) rules are in society."

The hard-to-bear scene "is not there to make people uncomfortable. It's to show how radicalization works," she added.

This feature film, as a whole, denounces indoctrination and sectarianism, while ironically on the neuroses of contemporary societies, the educational deficiencies of wealthy families, inertia in the face of climate change or the obsession with "healthy eating".

"Club Zero" takes place in a prestigious school in an unidentified European country.

It revolves around a group of teenagers under the influence of Mrs. Novak, played by Mia Wasikowska, a teacher who advocates "mindful eating", to the point of completely depriving herself of food and putting the lives of all students at risk.

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

True Believers

Beyond eating disorders and sectarian excesses, the film illustrates the anxieties of the younger generations, faced with climate change and inequalities.

"I still think that, if I were a teenager now, I would be so nervous with the world we inherit," Mia Wasikowska told AFP.

To prepare the film, Jessica Hausner and the actress seen in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" researched cults and cults.

For the director, the teacher had to be sincere in her beliefs, rather than a manipulator. "She's a true believer and she really believes she's doing the right thing," Wasikowska said.

The children and Mrs. Novak "begin to believe in something that we would normally consider false and crazy. It's very hard to accept that people sincerely believe in devastating or destructive ideas," Hausner said.

Her latest feature, "Little Joe," was in competition at Cannes in 2019 and earned actress Emily Beecham an acting award.

Like this film, "Club Zero" includes a lot of work on the colors and geometry of the sets.

The crew of the film "Club Zero" at the Cannes Film Festival, May 22, 2023 © Valery HACHE / AFP

"I don't place films at a particular time or place. I try to create an artificial visual style," said the director, who says she is "bored" by naturalism.

© 2023 AFP