Who is in the Fog? Approaching the Question of Uncertainty in Yuri Norstein’s Hedgehog in the Fog

Vera Zubarev, University of Pennsylvania

This paper deals with characters’ decision-making in Norstein’s acclaimed cartoon, A Hedgehog in the Fog. It seems that the main theme of the cartoon is related to the question of obscurity and ways of overcoming it. I am going to analyze two types of decision-makers, Ezhik and Medvezhenok, relying on Katsenelinboigen’s concept of indeterminism and styles of decision making. The main focus of this paper will be on Ezhik’s strategy that assists him in overcoming the obscurity and arriving at his point of destination regardless of all difficulties he has been through. The main goal of this paper is to show the great importance of Ezhik’s figure for the narrow, well-organized, yet uncertain, world of Medvezhenok to whom Ezhik becomes a true landmark and a foothold. In conclusion, I will discuss a metaphor for Ezhik, Medvezhenok, and the fog regarding life in general and life in Russia in 70s, in particular.