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This is not a tale of innocence, but of raw, unflinching cruelty, envy, and obsession. In this dark reimagining of the classic fairy tale, the Queen is no caricature of evil. She is a woman gripped by the fear of aging, haunted by the slow erosion of power, and desperate to be seen before she disappears entirely. In her bid to hold on to youth, she sacrifices everything—beauty, dignity, and ultimately, herself.

Snow White: The Sacrifice strips the story to its bones, revealing something far more primal. Beauty becomes weaponized. Power distorts. The human soul falters under the weight of expectation. At its core, this is a tale about the terror of irrelevance, and the devastating price of trying to outrun it.

Told through arresting movement, haunting narration, and a cinematic lens, the film explores what happens when a woman’s identity is reduced to her reflection. The Queen’s monstrous acts are not born of malice alone, but from very human wounds: the fear of invisibility, the trauma of comparison, the ache of watching oneself fade. Snow White, by contrast, is youth personified—not innocent so much as inevitable. She threatens simply by existing.

The choreography, created by Liv Lorent and performed by twelve extraordinary dancers, gives the Queen’s psychological descent physical form. Her body stiffens, fractures, contorts; Snow White moves with a grace that only heightens the Queen’s unraveling. Together, their performances tell a story deeper than words—of dominance and submission, of resistance and collapse, of beauty both possessed and feared.

Directed for screen by Ben Crompton and filmed in collaboration with Alex Ayre and Amelia Read, this is a dance theatre film that blends stage and cinema, mythology and modernity. The poetic narration, written by Carol Ann Duffy and delivered with chilling elegance by Sarah Parish, cuts through the visual beauty to expose emotional truth. A sweeping, original score by Murray Gold underscores the Queen’s internal storm, while Nasir Mazhar and Libby El-Alfy’s costume designs straddle opulence and unease. The world they inhabit—crafted by designer Phil Eddolls and lit by Malcolm Rippeth—is one of shadow and spectacle, where nothing is as it seems.

This is not a children’s story. It is a reckoning. A reminder of what happens when we value women only for their youth. A warning against becoming spellbound by the illusion of eternal beauty.

In the Queen, we see more than a villain—we see ourselves. Our fears. Our vanity. Our vulnerability. And as she spirals, we’re forced to ask: what would we give to stay visible? And who might we destroy in the process?

Snow White: The Sacrifice is a work of savage beauty and haunting truth—an urgent, unforgettable performance for audiences aged 15 and up.

Available to stream on Marquee TV - view the Marquee TV streaming options HERE.

Photo: Luke Waddington