An unsettling and mesmerising new film from director Lucile Hadžihalilović has premiered at the Berlin film festival, offering UK audiences a haunting take on obsession and idolisation. The Ice Tower, starring Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard, weaves a death-wish fairytale that explores dangerous yearnings and erotic submission against a backdrop of cinematic artifice.
A Trance-Like Cinematic Experience
Hadžihalilović's latest work casts what can only be described as an eerie and unwholesome spell, creating a trance-state that masterfully blends reality with fiction. While some of her previous films have been criticised for static pacing, The Ice Tower maintains a gripping tension throughout, supported by two outstanding lead performances and a clamorous musical score that enhances the film's dreamlike strangeness.
Marion Cotillard delivers a compelling performance as Cristina, a diva-ish movie actor filming an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen in late 1960s France. Her character commands the screen in a sparkling white form-fitting gown and crown, projecting an air of unsmiling hauteur that perfectly captures the ice queen's detached majesty.
Dual Narratives of Obsession
The film introduces Clara Pacini as Jeanne, a teenage girl in a nearby foster home grappling with the traumatic memory of her mother's death. In her profound loneliness and grief, Jeanne develops an obsession with the story of the Snow Queen, which she further displaces into idolising teenage girls who ice-skate at the local rink.
Jeanne's journey takes a dramatic turn when she runs away from her foster home, steals an older girl's identification, and breaks into the remote film studio. Her unexpected hiring as an extra brings her into Cristina's orbit, where her gamine prettiness and air of demure admiration catch the star's attention.
The production features a cameo from Gaspar Noé, Hadžihalilović's partner, who plays Dino – the somewhat louche director who habitually promises young actresses roles in his next Hitchcockian thriller. Indeed, Hitchcockian elements permeate the film, particularly in a scene featuring a bird attack and in Cristina's cold detachment from the victim's suffering.
A Dangerous Connection Forms
As Cristina and Jeanne grow closer, their relationship develops dangerous undertones, with the younger woman constantly subject to the movie star's whims and caprices. Cristina uses her starry mannerisms to enforce her status and mask her own vulnerability, creating a power dynamic that keeps viewers on edge.
A particularly powerful scene shows Jeanne's awestruck gaze as she pages through a glossy magazine profile of Cristina. Through their growing connection, both Jeanne and the audience discover surprising common ground: Cristina herself spent time in a foster home and appears to have been guided by a male confidant named Max, played by August Diehl, who calls himself her friend and doctor.
The film cleverly drifts between reality and the Snow Queen set, creating a seductive artificial ice realm that juxtaposes beautifully with Cristina's statuesque poise. Viewers experience Jeanne's woozy realisation that she has miraculously found herself in the ice realm with the ice queen herself.
The Ice Tower screened at the Berlin film festival and will arrive in UK cinemas on 21 November, offering audiences a chance to experience this mesmerising melodrama that expertly mixes sensuality with teetering anxiety.
