Paige Dwyer- Essay of Choice (2)

When we first began watching the Cold Fever movie, I had no idea what to expect. However, after just watching the first 10 minutes I knew it was going to be very different from any other movie I had seen. There was eerie music playing, strange scenes, and very little dialogue. It was odd enough to see a Japanese man wandering around in a bizzard in the middle of Iceland! I didn't quite understand the scene with the ghostly looking girl who randomly appeared out of nowhere. She began screaming in a high-pitched, disturbing tone and then vanished with an explosion of snow. I had no idea that Iceland was known for its mystical spirits and unexplainable appearances by faires. It is a very desolate and isolated part of the world, full of secrets and legends that are held near and dear to the locals. The protagonist of the film, Hirata, begins his journey in Iceland as a non believer in spirits or in traditional Japanese rituals. However, by the end he has been transformed. He finally understands the importance of rituals and how meaningful they truly are. I defintely gained a better appreciation for the film after I watched the whole thing and had time to reflect on it. It had much more depth than I anticipated.