“The land of my childhood is gone. It only lives within me, and with me it will turn to dust, in one of these hours, that approach me from oblivion.”

The words appear towards the end of A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents (Polish: Kronika wypadków miłosnych), spoken by the young protagonist of Andrzej Wajda’s achingly beautiful testament to romance in the time of conflict and the resilience of the human spirit. Taking its cue from the principle that “all is fair in love and war” (and that they may not be mutually exclusive), Wajda’s adaptation of Tadeusz Konwicki’s novel of the same title is nothing short of extraordinary. A quiet, gorgeous exploration of love in a challenging situation, it is the kind of film that stands as both a towering historical text and a sincere piece of storytelling that intends to do nothing more than investigating the most primordial qualities of our species. In this case, it is love, which is undoubtedly the most widely-explored subject in the history of artistic expression, eclipsing nearly every other theme, with the exception of death, which still plays a significant role in Wajda’s construction of this soaringly beautiful manifesto on young love and the confines of a forbidden romance, during a period in which such issues were not the priority for many individuals. A film that meditates on many fascinating ideas, and in the process manages to make a profound statement, not necessarily on anything tangible, but rather on the more unspoken factors of our collective existence, A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents is nothing short of a marvel – simple, elegant and spellbinding from beginning to end, Wajda put together a film that enchants the audience, taking us on a deeply moving journey through a budding romance, while not neglecting the broad socio-cultural themes that underpin this story, and make it one of the most intriguing representations of romance ever committed to film, and a truly impressive achievement in a multitude of ways.

1939, in an ambiguous territory somewhere between Poland and Lithuania, stands a small, quaint village, untouched by time, and built on the traditions of long-deceased generations. A young man named Witek (Piotr Wawrzyńczak) is on his way home after spending some time in the big city, where he is about to take his entrance examinations to hopefully assure a place for himself at the university, where he intends to study medicine, which has always been his path in life. However, his humble existence is shattered when he encounters some of his old friends that he hasn’t seen in years, who are far bawdier than he ever imagined, embracing their own carnal desires, just out of the prodding view of their strict, conservative parents who believe in following conventions and living a simple, principled life. Amongst these friends is a new face – Alina (Paulina Młynarska), an enigmatic young woman who initially clashes with the very shy Witek, who in turn is the victim of her uncomfortable advances that were intended to test his mettle. However, over time both find themselves falling deeply in love, making every effort they can to explore their burgeoning feelings for each other, while avoiding the wrath of their respective families, who refuse to give their blessing to these young lovers, who find themselves increasingly torn apart, particularly because they stand on the precipice of the Second World War, with the encroaching socio-political unease playing a part in challenging their love. They make the most of every moment they have together, along with their friends who conceal their own growing anxiety by engaging in debauchery and other forms of mischief that they not only hope can keep them young, but prevent the anxiety of the impending danger from overtaking them entirely. In the midst of all of this, Witek and Alina continue to pursue their love, pledging a commitment to each other than they believe can rival any other, willing to take on any of the challenges presented to them along the way.

Despite sounding quite foreboding, the opening words of this review serve quite a beautiful purpose, existing as the final sentiments of a film that has prioritized, above everything else, a meaningful exploration of love in all its forms, which extends to the fundamentally existential level, rather than merely being a dainty demonstration of adolescent yearning. Coming during a sequence in which Wajda abandon the magical realism he employed quite effectively throughout, and momentarily embraces something that can only be described as an unsettling ballet of cautiously gorgeous violence (in which the small Polish hamlet is under siege by the enemies, and the fate of the protagonists isn’t quite known), they point to the general existential intentions of this film, a kind of poignant craving for a celestial satiation that supersedes more traditional representation of visceral desire. It’s certainly quite difficult to put into words the extent to which the director is intent on looking at these themes – and Wajda was not a filmmaker satisfied with simply describing, but rather always intended to use his own unique style as a way to convey some message, even if he openly avoided more heavy-handed representations of certain themes, using a more effervescent set of conventions, such as those he utilized here, as a way to explore the depths of perception and communicate far more serious themes that only become clear once we’ve been fully immersed into the film. A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents may appear to be a relatively minor work – there’s certainly no shortage of films that look at romance during tumultuous times, with war in particular being an incredibly popular backdrop for these gorgeous portrayals of the heart’s desires, as it affords the story a recognizable set of challenges. However, as we venture deeper into the film, and start to see that Wajda is intent on doing more than what we expect on the surface, it becomes clear that we’re dealing with something far more impressive than we’d have expected from the premise.

A peculiar but no less admirable look into heroism, whereby courage is shown to be more than just traditional bravery, but rather the conviction to follow what one believes in, regardless of the obstacles they may encounter along the way. Essentially, A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents centres itself almost entirely around love – everything the film says can be traced back to the very simple genesis of Wajda intending to tell a compelling love story, with everything else being merely supplementary to the basic premise, with themes of social structure, religious belief and the pre-war mentality all receiving attention, but only as elements that shade in the various human idiosyncrasies that anchor the film. It is romance distilled into its more purely enchanting form, delivered with sincerity and heartfelt honesty, while still being beautifully made as well. As mentioned previously, A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents takes on a set of conventions normally associated with magical realism – situated in an unnamed village somewhere between Poland and Lithuania, where reality and fantasy intertwine (such as the sequences in which the protagonist interacts with an otherworldly being, who is implied to be his future self, guiding him in this uncertain time), and nothing is quite what it seems, this is a work clearly inspired by the soaring sensation of being inextricably in love, and as a result, functions as one of the most charming portrayals of romance from this era, a simple but earnest analysis of the different ways love can manifest. Wajda infuses the film with a certain gracefulness that prevents it from being too dull or tame at one extreme, or too bawdy or vulgar on another, being a work that fundamentally challenges ordinary portrayals of art’s favourite subject by presenting it in a way that is far more compelling than we’d normally expect from such a simple work.

Wajda was a filmmaker whose style was deeply rooted in reality, but still never neglected to lend his work some visual splendour, and throughout A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents, there’s a concerted effort being made to anchor the story within a recognizable world without abandoning the possibility to present it as beautifully as possible. This creates quite a unique atmosphere, with the film possessing the direness of many films that centre on wartime mentalities, but the ethereal warmth of any of the powerful romantic dramas that were clear inspirations on this story. Every frame in this film is a painting – the dreamlike cinematography, gorgeous score and general aura of quaint existential rumination, as well as the occasional brief foray into the supernatural, makes for truly compelling viewing. The performances from the young cast are also quite incredible, with Piotr Wawrzyńczak and Paulina Młynarska being exceptional as the young star-crossed lovers, elevating A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents far from the reductive, wartime adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that many have compared it to. There’s a depth to this film that allows it to overcome a relatively simplistic premise, flourishing into something quite beautiful, and a big part of this is the process through which Wajda and his actors come to some kind of understanding on the material – he affords them the freedom to interpret this story in any way they can, with their commitment to these roles showing consistently and being far more than just further additions to the canon of great “teenagers in love” performances that tend to be entertaining, but without depth. Realism always tends to prioritize the characters, and since there is a stigma that stories about young love don’t normally tend to give much value to fully-formed characters, it’s just another reason to thrust even more praise in the direction of a film that seems to genuinely care about its characters as much as what they represent, a bewilderingly rare occurrence for a film like this.

Arguably, there may not be much else to A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents besides its unique manner of looking into love – but it’s important to realize that it wasn’t meant to be much else. The novel, from what I can gather, wasn’t much more than a solid romance novel that counteracted the pre-war conditions of Polish society with a touching story of love between two people who are too old to be ignorant, but too young to have experienced life and gained the weathered wisdom that comes with being confronted with some of the world’s most intimidating challenges. This meaning isn’t at all lost in the film adaptation – Wajda goes to great lengths to keep this story simple, elegant and earnest, allowing it to function as a very simple narrative at its core. Where his skillfulness comes in is through the active realization of some of these ideas – he employs his unique visual style that is situated somewhere between pastoralism and magical realism, to create one of the most poetic explorations of love of its era, a simple but frustratingly gorgeous demonstration of passion that is never overwrought, with every possibility of saccharine sentimentality being avoided in favour of something far more interesting. A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents is such a compelling film, brimming with dedicated, lived-in performances from a cast comprised of both veteran actors and incredibly impressive newcomers (who the film undeniably belongs to), and a general sense of understanding its intimidating themes. Wajda does what he did best here – he challenges us to change our perception and look more carefully at the world around us, guiding the audience to the depths of the human condition, where he facilitates a powerful glimpse into life and its many quaint idiosyncracies and disconcerting challenges, siphoned through the recognizable concept of love. There are many words to describe this film – tragic, poignant, beautiful and brimming with melancholy – but above everything else, A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents is quite simply an unforgettable work of romantic cinema, a touching portrayal of our inner desires, packaged in a way that will make even the most cynical viewer feel the flutter of joyful nostalgia we have all hopefully experienced at some point in our lives.