Chilly Scenes of Winter

Chilly Scenes of Winter

Year: 1979

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

Director: Joan Micklin Silver

RomanceComedyDrama

Set against a biting Utah winter, the film follows Charles, a disengaged civil servant who drifts through his days in a blend of wistful humor and melancholy. He continually revisits his past romance with Laura, a coworker who abandoned him to rejoin her husband, an A‑Frame salesman, while the snowy landscape mirrors his emotional chill.

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Timeline & Setting – Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City provides the everyday backdrop for Charles’s emotional turmoil, blending civic offices with quiet residential areas. The winter months drape the city in cold stillness, underscoring the protagonist’s isolation and fixation on Laura. The setting offers a grounded, real-world canvas for a personal drama that unfolds in ordinary spaces.

🏙 City life ❄️ Winter climate 🗺 Utah location

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:46

Main Characters – Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)

Meet the key characters of Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Charles Richardson (John Heard)

A depressed civil servant whose fixation on Laura dominates his life. He drinks on the job and reconstructs Laura’s world in his private, obsessive rituals, keeping Laura’s memory alive even as she moves on with Jim. His jealousy undermines friendships and compounds tension within his family, creating a claustrophobic emotional landscape.

❄️ Obsession 😢 Unrequited love 🧭 Obsession vs reality

Laura (Mary Beth Hurt)

Charles’s former lover who has joined her husband Jim in a new life. She is ambivalent about rekindling their romance and wary of Charles’s persistence. Her responses illuminate the difficulty of moving on and the boundaries she sets to protect herself from his fixation.

💔 Broken Love 🤔 Ambivalence 🧩 Complex relationships

Sam (Peter Riegert)

Charles’s unemployed friend who fears his companion’s escalating obsession. He tolerates Charles while reluctantly going along with plans, even helping to stage a fake gay couple to tour Jim’s houses. His wary, grounded perspective offers a counterpoint to Charles’s delusions.

🧭 Friendship 🤝 Loyalty 🧩 Subterfuge

Betty (Nora Heflin)

Laura’s friend from work whom Charles briefly courts. His advances reveal a lack of genuine interest and reveal his self-centered motives, underscoring the social dynamics surrounding Laura.

💬 Social dynamics 💘 Rejection

Jim

Laura’s husband and a log-home salesman. His marriage and home life are the backdrop against which Charles’s obsession unfolds, and he becomes central to the tension when Charles and Sam intrude on his home.

🏡 Marriage 🗣 Tension

Clara Richardson

Charles’s mother, described as eccentric and overwhelmed by suicidal ideations. Her fragile state intensifies the family pressure on Charles and widens the emotional distance between him and Laura.

🧠 Family 🌀 Mental health

Pete Richardson

Charles’s skeptical stepfather who adds another layer of tension at home. His doubt about Charles’s plans and loyalty to Laura’s safety contribute to the film’s emotional complexity.

🧭 Family dynamics 🗣 Skepticism

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:46

Major Themes – Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)

Explore the central themes of Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

❄️ Obsession

Charles’s fixation on Laura drives much of the plot, shaping his decisions and skirting the line between devotion and danger. He mirrors his obsession in private rituals, like constructing a miniature dollhouse of Laura’s home. Jealousy and possessiveness color his interactions with friends and Laura’s social circle, leaving little room for genuine connection. The winter setting frames this fixation as a chilling, isolating force.

💔 Heartbreak

Laura’s ambivalence and decision to move away from Charles reveal the fragility of their romance. Charles’s pursuit, though passionate, fails to acknowledge Laura’s boundaries, turning longing into a painful pattern. Jim’s presence and Laura’s resistance offer a counterpoint to Charles’s fantasy, highlighting the gap between desire and reality. The emotional conflict anchors the film in a bittersweet mood.

🧠 Family & Mental Strain

Charles navigates a fraught family environment, with his mother Clara plagued by suicidal ideations and a skeptical stepfather, Pete. The tense home life amplifies his insecurity and fuels his obsessive behavior. The film uses these family strains to show how personal crises ripple outward, affecting friendships and romantic hopes. This pressure cooker backdrop makes Charles’s fixation feel both pitiable and dangerous.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:46

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Chilly Scenes of Winter Summary

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Chilly Scenes of Winter Summary

Chilly Scenes of Winter Timeline

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Chilly Scenes of Winter Timeline

More About Chilly Scenes of Winter

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Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow