There were two versions of Chilly Scenes of Winter, the film adaptation of Ann Beattie’s novel, released between 1979 and 1982. The first was Head Over Heels, a mildly well-received version, and the second was one that bore the source material’s title, and featured a different ending. The decision which one to view was based on a few factors – the first being that the edited, newer version is one much closer to the original text. The second being that the new ending, while more downbeat, plays into the film’s more unique tone, and made for a more riveting experience. The film, which takes the form of a series of recollections a young man has about a past relationship, is a fascinating character study that is built on the most intricate details of the human condition – so naturally, it is a film by Joan Micklin Silver, a tragically underpraised filmmaker who has a solid group of supporters that cherish her, but has yet to receive the widespread acclaim she deserves. Her career is one that has fascinated me for a while, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to venture into her work by looking at one of her most celebrated productions, an adaptation of a novel that may not be particularly complex, but has a sense of both sentimentality and humour that make it such a rivetting, comforting film, the kind that could only be made during this period, where very little can happen over the course of 90 minutes, but yet we still walk away suitably entertained and encouraged, one of the many wonderful qualities that make it such a special piece of artistic expression, and a film that becomes more charming the more we allow ourselves to just get lost in the endless labyrinths of passion and desire that underpin the story and make it such a compelling and sweetly sentimental comedy.

One of the most notable flaws in the romantic comedy genre is the over-emphasis on happy endings, which is certainly understandable. The vast majority of viewers don’t walk into these films with the intention of seeing an entirely realistic depiction of the trials and tribulations of people in love. They want a solid couple of hours of mindless entertainment, peppered with jokes and moments of genuine passion, and a conclusion that restores our sometimes misguided faith that everything will work out in the end. This idea is what grounds Chilly Scenes of Winter, but from the opposite perspective – Silver was not aiming to make a film that played into these tropes, but rather actively challenged them. This is known as one of the more significant examples of a romance without a happy ending, being one of the more melancholic comedies on the subject of love produced at the time. It’s in this area that Chilly Scenes of Winter is so fascinating, since it addresses the common conventions of the genre, and even manages to engage in some of them itself, with elements such as the meet-cute and rising tension between the protagonists (the cornerstone of the genre) being very much present throughout the film. The difference is obviously that Silver is using them in a way that is more challenging, subverting the common conventions of a genre that is sometimes unfairly weighed down by these ideas. She never once lets the characters off the hook, and she is as willing to hold them accountable for their actions. It amounts to a wonderfully complex character study about two people (as well as a few in the periphery of their lives) as they navigate the sometimes treacherous world of romance, which is not necessarily as easy as the movies would make it seem, which is a primary theme explored throughout this film, clearly having fascinated the director enough to adapt Beattie’s novel and engage with its primary ideas surrounding romance.

Set in the snow-covered landscapes of suburban Utah, Chilly Scenes of Winter is a very special film both tonally and narratively. Taking its cue from many previous romantic comedies, the film is very easygoing, and Silver (despite being from the Midwest herself) manages to capture the spirit of the location, turning it into a character on its own. The protagonists of the film are grappling with their own banal urban life as they are with their feelings of crushing loneliness, and yet the film still manages to be a comedy, albeit one rooted more heavily within a culture of existential humour. The director’s refusal to go for the low-hanging fruit is actually quite admirable, since it forces her to confront ideas that are easily resolved with a well-placed cliché in most instances. The tone is consistently quite peculiar – it is a very funny film (undeniably a result of Silver’s own experiences directing some well-received comedies for both film and television, making her one of the most significant filmmakers to work in both mediums and produce films of an impeccable quality, which makes her relative obscurity even more inexplicable), but it has such a distinctly melancholy quality that plays into the central idea of romance being far from the effortlessly easy process many seem to think it is. This immediately implies that the central premise of Chilly Scenes of Winter is not to play by the genre’s rules, but rather to actively deconstruct these conventions and present them in an entirely different way, while not losing the spirit of what makes these films so entertaining. There are multiple layers to what the film is aiming to say when telling the story of this romance (and framing it as a series of recollections, rather than as a linear story, makes it even more enthralling and contributes to the nostalgic sadness of the piece), but yet it often avoids being overly sentimental in a way that is inauthentic.

We find ourselves growing to love the characters in Chilly Scenes of Winter, which is the result of both the wonderful literary constructions created by Beattie, and the work done to bring the characters to life on behalf of the actors, who work closely with Silver to develop them as realistic individuals. John Heard is in a similar position to Silver insofar as he is an incredibly gifted actor who frequently received very little attention, despite some popular work. This film is a remarkable showcase for his gifts, with his charismatic everyman attitude, and frequently insightful control of character, making Charles one of the most endearing protagonists in the genre’s history, a man who we can all relate to in some way. The same can be said for Mary Beth Hurt, who plays Laura, the other half of the central duo. Much like Heard, Hurt approaches the role from a place of profound sensitivity – she is not interested in being some unattainable construction, nor is the character crafted as some sacrosanct object of desire, which is one of the many pratfalls of most romantic comedies, where one of the lovers is far more desirable than another, almost to the point where it becomes the foundation for much of the comedy, especially in instances where the combination of a regular character with some deity-like entity contributes to the humorous content. Chilly Scenes of Winter fights against this idea constantly, so much that even the supporting characters (such as those played by Peter Riegert and the legendary Gloria Grahame) come across as extremely and unequivocally human, a development that is beyond admirable in such a film, and warrants an astonishing amount of praise all on its own terms.

Chilly Scenes of Winter is an effortlessly charming film, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. Mercifully, all of it is intentional, since this was crafted to be a rebuttal to the shortcomings of a genre that has frequently become seen as one riddled with clichés and trite narratives that don’t really add much value outside of entertaining viewers. However, while it may not be the first film to attempt to deconstruct the genre (nor is it the last by any means), it is one of the few that goes about questioning conventions without being mean-spirited, keeping a consistently endearing tone throughout, which ultimately works in the film’s favour, since it makes it very clear from the outset that it is not at all interested in buckling to conventions. Chilly Scenes of Winter does take some time to reach a point of coherency, especially since the first half is mainly just a series of rapid-fire memories blurred with a more subdued and heartwrenching framing device where the main character reminisces on his past relationship. However, the moment the film starts to hit its stride, it becomes something truly extraordinary. Intricate, heartwarming and bittersweet, Silver had a knack for storytelling that has made her status as a lost master of the craft so bizarre, since she could make films that are simultaneously challenging and comforting. Chilly Scenes of Winter is one of the more fascinating attempts at revising the romantic comedy genre, with some terrific performances at its core, and a fantastic screenplay – and ultimately, it all becomes an exercise in seeing how much it can develop these characters into realistic individuals before it starts to become too realistic, and through pushing boundaries in ways that are both experimental and subversive, this film manages to be a truly delightful, but frequently heartbreaking, account of romance and all of the challenges that surround it.