Lucile Hadžihalilović's mesmerising new feature, 'The Ice Tower', has been ranked as the fourth best film of 2025 in the United Kingdom. This kaleidoscopic fable, headlined by the Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard, serves as a potent and haunting cautionary tale about the dangers of fantasy and obsessive idolisation.
A Hermetic World of Film and Fairy Tale
Directed by the consistently underrated Lucile Hadžihalilović – whose meticulous filmography includes 'Innocence' (2004) and 'Evolution' (2015) – The Ice Tower represents a subtle shift. While maintaining her signature style of creating exquisitely controlled, hermetic worlds, the film glances towards commercial territory by rooting its narrative in Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Snow Queen'.
The story follows Jeanne (Clara Pacini), a teenage orphan who escapes her foster home. Drawn by the fairy tale, she stows away on a film production adapting the story. The Snow Queen is being portrayed by the imperious, damaged diva Cristina van der Berg, played with trademark hauteur by Marion Cotillard. Through Jeanne's eyes, the film set itself becomes another of Hadžihalilović's rarefied universes, where every prop and backstage moment is laden with meaning.
The Perils of Fantasy and Idolisation
Posing as an extra named 'Bianca', Jeanne is adopted by Cristina as her protégé. The Ice Tower masterfully blurs the lines between the film shoot, Jeanne's daydreams, and reality, keeping the audience in a crepuscular threshold. However, this is far from a simple story of wish-fulfilment.
The core of the film is a cautionary tale. Hadžihalilović explores the perilous psychology of fantasy. Jeanne, guided by reverie, cannot decipher what she truly seeks from her frosty idol: a mother substitute or a dangerous infatuation. Cristina, who shares a forlorn past with the girl, understands the cost of living inside a fantasy, warning of the splendid isolation it brings.
Set in an indeterminate analogue 1970s, the film issues a stark warning for a contemporary audience dazzled by the endless imagery of the digital age.
Monsters in the Fairytale
With a disquieting score featuring the ondes Martenot, the film prompts the question: where is the monster? Is it the film's director, played by Hadžihalilović's real-life partner Gaspar Noé? Or is it the act of filmmaking and art itself, which hoards and crystallises beauty until desire freezes?
Many will interpret The Ice Tower through a #MeToo lens, albeit with a distinctly French sensibility. Ultimately, the film is dominated by Cotillard's commanding and claustrophobic performance, embodying a figure who is both object of obsession and a warning. Lucile Hadžihalilović has crafted another unique cinematic artefact, confirming her status as a visionary director and securing The Ice Tower's place among the year's most essential viewings.
