Taking a brief interlude from screening brand new international films, IFFO turned its attention to an important piece of Canadian cinema history near the end of the festival’s run – a 4K restoration of the early queer film by David Secter, Winter Kept us Warm (1965).
The film’s immediately apparent low-budget aesthetic took some time to win over the crowd at the Ottawa Art Gallery, but its disarmingly subtle and nuanced character work leads toward an undeniably stirring conclusion.
Produced at the University of Toronto, with much of its cast and crew still students, the film follows the friendship between the shy, awkward freshman Peter and the charismatic, socially popular Doug. They develop a tight-knit relationship that seems at first completely platonic, but which quickly begins to ooze a palpable romantic tension.
This dynamic is largely carried by the strength of John Labow’s performance as Doug. Labow is the only actor in the cast who really seems to live in his character – without overplaying either facet of his personality, he is believable as both an outwardly confident jock and an internally romantic and confused young man. Henry Tarvainen’s stammering, insecure performance as Peter feels more familiar, but he does have an electric chemistry with Labow.
Although there are very few scenes where these characters seem to be expressing what they really feel, the frenetic jazz soundtrack constantly suggests a passion burning just beneath the surface, threatening to burst out.
For anyone who knows the city of Toronto, Winter Kept us Warm will be a joy to watch simply on the basis of the incredible images of the Yonge Street area in the 1960s. In addition to scenes taking place in real streets, restaurants, clubs and saunas, brought vibrantly to life in the new restoration, the film makes creative use of un-staged photographs which help to situate this story in a very historic milieu.
As queer cinema scholar Dr. Thomas Waugh put it in his live introduction to the film, it provides “vivid glimpses of a time and a place that’s vanished.”
The film’s low budget is quickly noticeable in the amateurish sound recording, guerilla-style street shooting and naturally lit interiors. Certain dramatic scenes feel somewhat awkwardly delivered, perhaps out of an attempt to save on film by keeping it to one or two takes.
But its cheapness does grant it a certain charm. There is a real sense of fun and excitement, despite the film’s melancholic tone, emanating from these students making their first movie – some scenes feel as though they exist simply to bring more friends into the production.
While the label of “early queer film” might produce some expectations of a John Waters-esque salaciousness that Winter Kept us Warm does not provide, the frankness with which it treats its central gay relationship is remarkable for a film released in 1965. It creates a clear romantic subtext without overtly acknowledging homosexuality until very near the end, taking a non-judgemental tone and not letting their sexuality wholly define either Doug or Pete as characters.
Although the pitfalls characteristic of this era of independent filmmaking will take some adjustment for contemporary viewers, Winter Kept us Warm is a tender and moving drama whose new restoration should rightfully canonize it in the history of Canadian queer cinema.
The Ottawa Art Gallery screened Winter Kept Us Warm on March 20, 2025 as part of the International Film Festival of Ottawa, which ended on March 23. Keep an eye out on their website for next year’s lineup.
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