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December 17, 2025

Best movies of 2025 in the US: No 3

Lucile Hadžihalilović’s kaleidoscopic fable, starring Marion Cotillard as a haughty, damaged diva, is a cautionary tale about the perils of fantasy

Best movies of 2025 in the US: No 3

TL;DR

  • Lucile Hadžihalilović, known for her controlled, anxiety-ridden microcosms, directs "The Ice Tower."
  • The film is a loose adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen."
  • Teenage orphan Jeanne escapes her foster home and joins a film production of "The Snow Queen."
  • Cristina van der Berg (played by Marion Cotillard) stars as the Snow Queen.
  • Filmmaking itself becomes a central focus, depicted as a rarefied, significant world.
  • Jeanne becomes an extra and is taken under Cristina's wing, blurring the lines between idolization and infatuation.
  • The film explores the perils of fantasy, idolization, and the desire to become one's idol.
  • Set in an indeterminate 1970s, it serves as a warning about being dazzled by imagery in the digital age.
  • The "monster" could be interpreted as filmmaking, art, or the consuming nature of desire.
  • The film offers a French perspective on themes potentially related to #MeToo.

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