Jessica Hausner is perhaps best known for the film "The Miracle of Lourdes" which came out in 2009. Now she has both written the script for and directed "Club Zero", which in a way also deals with faith.
We all need to believe in something, we can't live without it. When the major religions don't work, and with a world that's so complicated, it's easy for someone to take advantage of it, she says about the theme of the film.
In "Club Zero", Mia Wasikowska plays the lead role as Miss Novak, a teacher who works at a boarding school for rich students. She gets close to a group of five students, whom she encourages to eat "consciously" - to counteract Western consumerism and environmental destruction, but also to promote their own health.
Not unexpectedly, it has catastrophic consequences. The students eventually eat less and less.
It's a young generation whose parents don't listen to them. It opens up for them to be easily manipulated, says Jessica Hausner.
Warning text
In the beginning of the film, a warning text appears about people with eating disorders. After "Club Zero" was shown to a test audience, it turned out that some viewers experienced that it could be triggering for those who suffer from food problems. Hausner thinks the decision about a trigger warning was good.
It was right to point out that "be careful, what you're about to see can trigger something".
Before filming, both Hausner and Wasikowska met people who had managed to escape from sects.
We talked about manipulation, we talked about cult leaders. Many of them believe themselves what they preach. Miss Novak is a person who really believes she's doing something good. We wanted to show the cult leader in that way, not as a monster, says Jessica Hausner and continues:
The young people in the film have good ideas. It's Miss Novak who leads them astray. Why are they open to this form of radicalization?
Rich have "extra pressure"
The fact that the film takes place at a school for the really rich kids has several explanations.
Not least that these children have extra pressure on them to succeed. The richer you are, the more you want to belong to an elite.
Hausner talks about sects she studied, including one that preaches that you shouldn't eat at all.
But I'm not saying what it's called. I don't want to give it advertising.
Age: 52 years.
Lives: In Vienna.
Occupation: Director.
Previous films: "Lovely Rita", "The Miracle of Lourdes", "Amour fou".
Currently with: "Club Zero" which has its Swedish cinema premiere on 8/11.
Healthy & free
The National Association against Eating Disorders. They have local associations in several locations and can answer questions and refer further.
www.friskfri.se
Eating Disorder Zone
Here, people who identify as girls can chat with volunteers.
https://atstorningsschatten.tjejzonen.se/
SHEDO
Association that works to spread knowledge about eating disorders and self-harm.
www.shedo.se/
If you're under 18 years old, you can turn to a youth clinic, student health, or child and adolescent psychiatry, BUP.
If you're over 18 years old, you can turn to a health center, psychiatric clinic, or company health care.
It's important to seek care as soon as possible if you think you have an eating disorder, to be able to make an investigation and get the right care.
Source: 1177
