Chilly Scenes of Winter

Directed by Joan Micklin Silver, Chilly Scenes of Winter follows John Heard’s Charles as he goes about his day-to-day existence while pining over the married woman (Mary Beth Hurt’s Laura) he had a brief affair with a year earlier. Silver, working from her own screenplay, delivers an exceedingly lackadaisical drama that grows more and more absorbing as time progresses, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the movie benefits quite substantially from the top-tier efforts of its various performers – with Heard’s subtle, completely convincing turn going a long way towards cultivating an increasingly compelling atmosphere. And although the loose, meandering structure admittedly paves the way for a handful of lulls, Chilly Scenes of Winter‘s continuing emphasis on its sporadically unlikable protagonist ensures that it does, for the most part, come off as a better-than-average character study – which, when coupled with a satisfying final stretch, cements its place as a solid endeavor from a woefully underrated filmmaker.

*** out of ****