"Cold Fever" (1995) Director Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's Cult Film, Proclaimed "The Greatest Icelandic-Japanese Road Movie of 1995"

[DonRocks]

After months of trying, and attempting to recommend "Cold Fever" to people, I finally found it for rent online. It's not the easiest thing in the world to do, but it seems safe enough - it will take a leap of faith, however.

Believe me, I've tried *everything*, and finally found something that worked, with one caveat. Go to icelandiccinemaonline.com, sign up for an account, and then comes the leap of faith: You need to purchase credits to watch films, in increments of 5 Euros. Renting "Cold Fever" requires 3 Euros of credits, and as of this writing, I have 2 Euros in my account - they're just sitting there, and probably won't be used, so I'll be happy to give them to anyone wanting to watch the film. The catch is that 2 credits aren't enough; you need 3, and so you'll need to purchase 5 more regardless. 

However, if you do purchase 5 more, I'll give you my 2, and you'll have a total of 7, which will give you enough to watch two films (assuming the second one is no more than 4 credits). I'll also need to figure out a way to either transfer my credits to your account, or give you access to my account, so just write me, and we'll figure this out together.

Okay, now for the caveat: This is mostly an English-language film - the Icelandic parts are almost non-existent, but the very beginning is in Japanese, and when I saw this in the movie theater, 20+ years ago, I'm pretty sure the Japanese part was sub-titled into English; this version has no subtitles at all, so I'll need to tell you what they're talking about in the first 10-15 minutes of the film. Once I do, it will be extremely easy to follow:

*** SPOILERS FOLLOW ***

Hirata is a wealthy young Japanese businessman, played by Masatoshi Nagase with *hilarious* subtlety. His parents traveled to Iceland for a vacation, where they perished, and if I recall correctly, the anniversary of their death is coming up (it might be the one-year anniversary, or 5 year, but he's a young man, so it couldn't have been too long ago). It is customary to honor your parents by traveling to the place where they died, and performing a ritual at that location, which is what sends Hirata to Iceland in the dead of winter. That is the point where, about 15 minutes into the film, you see him boarding an SAS flight to Iceland, and that's the point where you no longer need sub-titles.

*** SPOILERS END HERE ***

I really didn't spoil much in the previous section, so it won't kill you to read it, and in fact, you'll *need* to read it unless you understand Japanese, because I'm telling you what happens in the non-sub-titled portion of the film - it won't ruin anything, and you'll need to know the set-up to enjoy the film.

The rest of the movie is the "road film" portion, and it alternates between laugh-out-loud funny and darkly, strangely funny. I really recommend this film, not as a masterpiece, but as a 90-minute little gem - a "small film - that will be 90 minutes very well-spent. And, as I said above, I'll be happy to give you my 2 credits - get in touch. If you don't want mine, I might take yours - either way, the extra credits shouldn't go to waste.

[DIShGo]

"Cold Fever" is a charming film. I was a little lost in the beginning, as there are no subtitiles and the dialogue is in Japanese, but Don's synopsis of the events leading up to the trip to Iceland are all one needs to figure out what is going on.

The opening scenes in Tokyo, as well as the beautiful panoramic shots of Iceland throughout the rest of the film, reminded me of Koyaanisqatsi. The films are quite different in style and substance, but the cinematography in "Cold Fever" brought that visually stunning movie to my mind.

Masatoshi Nagase is perfectly cast as the young man who begrudgingly sets out on a journey to find the spot where his parents died. The looks of disdain on his face are priceless as he faces challenge after challenge on his trip, encountering an array of colorful characters along the way. 

The film pokes fun at Icelandic traditions, but it is made by Icelandic filmmakers, so the jokes are endearing and never mean-spirited.

This film is funny, uplifting and beautifully shot. I am glad I saw "Cold Fever" and I highly recommend it.