Club Zero is a 2023 internationally co-produced drama thriller film, directed and produced by Jessica Hausner, from a screenplay by Hausner and Géraldine Bajard. It stars Mia Wasikowska, Mathieu Demy, Elsa Zylberstein, Amir El-Masry and Sidse Babett Knudsen.
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2023.
Plot
A teacher at an elite school forms a bond with five students, which takes a shocking turn.
Cast
Mia Wasikowska as Miss Novak
Sidse Babett Knudsen as Miss Dorset
Elsa Zylberstein as Elsa's mother
Mathieu Demy as Elsa's father
Luke Barker as Fred
Ksenia Devriendt as Elsa
Florence Baker as Ragna
Samuel D. Anderson as Ben
Gwen Currant as Helen
Andrei Hozoc as Corbinian
Sade McNichols-Thomas as Joan
Amir El-Masry as Mr. Dahl
Amanda Lawrence as Miss Benedict
Sam Hoare as Fred's father
Keeley Forsyth as Ragna's mother
Lukas Turtur as Ragna's father
Camilla Rutherford as Fred's mother
Laoisha O'Callaghan as Helen's mother
Production
In February 2022, it was reported that Mia Wasikowska joined the cast of the film, with Jessica Hausner directing and producing from a screenplay by herself and Géraldine Bajard. In August 2022, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Amir El-Masry, Mathieu Demy, Elsa Zylberstein, Luke Barker, Amanda Lawrence, Sam Hoare, Keeley Forsyth, Lukas Turtur, Camilla Rutherford, Samuel D. Anderson, Florence Baker, Ksenia Devriendt and Gwen Currant joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography began in Oxford on 25 July 2022.
Release
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2023. It is slated to have its North American premiere at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival, in the International Narrative Competition lineup. It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'World Cinema' section and was screened on 7 October 2023.
It was released in France by BAC Films on 27 September 2023. Austrian distributor Filmladen has scheduled a release date of 17 November 2023.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 53% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.