Cold Fever Laura Boleyn

The main character of the film, Cold Fever, goes through a journey to perform a ritual for his dead parents. Along the way, this non-religious man who finds no meaning in ritual, finds meaning in his life through this journey and the ritual performed. He encounters many obstacles, but also characters that are willing to help him overcome these difficulties and fulfill the necessary steps to complete his journey. Through the journey, the man finds meaning in his life and one can see ways in which he is able to understand sacred place through the four axioms listed by Lane.
Once in Iceland, the man is not only faced with a language barrier but also an annoying woman who insists on taking pictures of funeral rituals. He is also unable to get to his desired locations and is required to buy an old beaten car to take him to the destinations of his journey. Another journey quality is the presence of supernatural beings, in this case, faeries. Also, the man must overcome the obstacle of an American couple, which hitch a ride with the man and later force him out of his own car. This forces him to compete the next step of the journey, which can be seen as a test or a diversion from his quest. There is also a character that takes the place of a helper who will assist him on his journey. The man is unable to get to the river for his parents ritual because of the inclement weather and an old man helps him to get there and complete the final step of the journey. The man must cross a bridge alone to get to the river and perform the ritual. He does so and is able to fulfill his journey and bring meaning to his life.
The man is able to enter sacred place and understand sacred place, but only through his journey. Through the death of his parents and the trip he must take to perform the necessary rituals, he is able to complete an important part of his life and find a spiritual connection with the world. With the first axiom, sacred place is not chosen, it chooses, the river where the man’s parents died was not chosen as sacred place but instead the river place chose the man for the place of ritual. In this way, the river place serves as an axis mundi for the man. At this place, the man can connect with his parents who are in another world. The sacred place has chosen the man and his parents to serve as a connection once lost. The second axiom, sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary, can be also be seen at the river place. To anyone else, this particular place is just another part of the environment. Because the man’s parents died here and the man must perform rituals for his parents here, it is made sacred, even if just for the man. The third axiom, sacred place can be tred upon without being entered, can be seen throughout the movie, especially in the beginning of his journey. Any part of the Icelandic environment could be sacred, but because the man is not religious or in connection with sacred place, it is not entered by him, he only treds upon it. The whole first part of the man’s journey he is at a loss of connection with sacred place and the Icelandic environment. The man sees the area as cold, desolate and does not want to be there at all. He does not see it as a distinct, holy ground. The final axiom, impulse of sacred place is both local and universal, can be seen in the final scene when the man is performing the ritual. He now has a connection with Iceland and its surrounding environment, and with the universe because he is able to be in connection with his parents and the world through this river place and that particular place.
The main character of the film, Cold Fever, is able to find meaning in himself and in Iceland and the world through his journey. He is obligated to complete the necessary rituals for his parents but along the way he is able to complete a journey and find sacred place through Lane’s four axioms.