David Secter was 21 years old when he decided to spend much of his final year at the University of Toronto writing and directing a film inspired by his unrequited crush on a fellow student. The resulting feature, Winter Kept Us Warm, became the first English-language Canadian film to play at Cannes, it sparked the filmmaking ambitions of David Cronenberg, and it has the distinction of being Canada’s first gay film, although that fact was downplayed in 1965, as homosexuality would not be legalised in Canada for another four years. In fact, Secter claimed his actors remained unaware of the gay subtext that adds a layer of complexity and poignancy to the relationship between introspective freshman Peter (Henry Tarvainen) and charismatic senior Doug (John Labow). The pair become fast friends, but the sense of yearning that Secter captures in the encounters between them is palpable, and there is an unmistakable homoerotic undercurrent as we watch them frolicking in the snow or washing each other’s backs in the post-gym shower. When Doug reveals to Peter that he has memorised one of the tracks from his album of Finnish folk songs and has learned to play it on the guitar, it feels tantamount to a declaration of love, but Secter is acutely aware of the way gestures can be misread and signals ignored. Secter drew on the influence of Cassavetes and Godard to realise his vision with the meagre resources at his disposal. Evidence of the cast and crew’s inexperience and the haphazard production can be glimpsed in some awkward performances, or the occasional mismatch of sound and image, but Secter’s direction is imaginative and intelligent, and the film’s beguiling emotional sincerity compensates for any technical limitations. Winter Kept Us Warm is a vivid snapshot of a particular moment in time, but what keeps it feeling so vital and resonant sixty years later is the authentic sense of sadness and regret that it evokes, as we watch two people drift inexorably apart. As Secter later put it, “friendship, like snow, is brilliant but ephemeral.”

Philip Concannon