Icebreakers

A ferry makes its way through the ice floating in the wintery Baltic Sea. But nothing of the dark, cold night is noticeable inside the ship, where a dance programme is taking place. The camera attentively observes the guests scattered across the dance floor, swaying back and forth, as well as those who prefer just to watch, before finally succumbing to the attempts of tipsy teenagers to gain control of it. Yet the real object of fascination is the artists, whose presentations breathe a moment of magic into a world which already seems rather unreal. Two of them continue their dance like a pair of doves down the endless corridors deep inside the ship.

With its atmospheric density Icebreakers captures what might be regarded as a rather unglamorous party, one featuring guests who meet through the coincidence of having fled the ice-cold darkness outside. Maximilien Van Aertryck portrays this night in the belly of the ship with gentle irony but without a trace of sarcasm, and evokes the feeling of a journey into the unknown, full of nostalgia and hope.

Jenny Billeter

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