There’s never an inappropriate moment to discuss two of life’s most joyful experiences – the warm, easygoing days of summer, and the process of gradually falling in love. These are two situations that everyone should encounter at least once – and they both factor into the wonderful Everyone Has a Summer (Polish: Każdy ma swoje lato), the tremendously satisfying comedy from Tomasz Jurkiewicz, who makes quite an audacious feature-length debut with this terrific, quaint film that ventures through some treacherous territory to deliver a story of young love, set to the idyllic backdrop of the Polish countryside in the lazy days of summer. The kind of film that simply exudes joy (but not without taking a few well-earned diversions into the realm of more dramatic subject matter, which gives insights into the narrative being spun), and takes us on a journey into the fascinating lives of a small group of characters making their way through the chaos of the modern world. Jurkiewicz has a very promising authorial voice, with each frame of Everyone Has a Summer conveying a deep understanding of the human condition, facilitating some poignant discussions that feel authentic and hard-hitting, without ever being overwrought or unnecessarily convoluted, which is quite an achievement, considering this film belongs in a genre plagued with issues of cliche and being confined by conventions. This is certainly a traditional film in the sense that it doesn’t promise to be anything other than a buoyant, heartwarming comedy that tackles some of life’s biggest issues through heartfulness and humour – and in the process manages to captivate us and convince the audience that we’re experiencing these emotions felt by the characters for the first time ourselves, which is not an easy accomplishment by any means.

Beautifully simple in both theory and execution, Everyone Has a Summer delivers on every bold promise that it makes by staying true to its earnest spirit, while not neglecting to have its adventures within the world it bases itself in. There’s a playfulness persistent throughout the film, which appears to be the work of a filmmaker who has a genuine fondness for the kinds of stories being told. At the outset, we’re introduced to two different narratives – one of a young man working in a butchery, the other a young woman spending her summer as a cook at a religious retreat for children. It doesn’t take too long for the stories to become interwoven, pulled together by overlapping characters and a shared history between them. It makes space for some insightful conversations between the quartet of main characters, who oscillate between the two narratives until they eventually converge into a stunning, poetic exploration of how a few lives can come together in unexpected ways, and influence each other through the lessons they impart, and the experiences they share. None of this would have worked without Jurkiewicz’s incredibly honest and direct approach to this story, since he recognizes a strong premise may be alluring to getting audiences to venture towards your film, but what keeps us seated and engaged is another matter entirely, which he wastes very little time in establishing from the first moments of this film, where the distinctive music and striking cinematography let us know that we’re going to be spending the next hour under the careful watch of a future master, whose ebullient and charismatic style is a perfect fit for this story.

The key to the success of Everyone Has a Summer isn’t only its simplicity, but how the director constantly finds the balance between the lighter comedic aspects, and the darker subject matter – and not only does he execute both with great skill, but he manages to merge them into a single narrative without coming across as either flippant or heavy-handed, which is something that many other filmmakers have struggled with when oscillating between tone and convention, often failing to make an impression on one end or the other. This is a bittersweet film in the very basic definition since it takes the form of a warm-hearted romantic comedy with an undercurrent of sadness, which is introduced from the very first moment, where we’re thrust into a world of truly miserable people. The cast is populated by three exceptional performances. Nicolas Przygoda and Sandra Drzymalska are fantastic as star-crossed lovers who become intertwined in a romance based on their existence at a particular time in a specific place, which sets off a gloriously deranged exploration of the human condition, taken from the perspective of some characters who may not be necessarily special, but rather have a heartfelt conviction that makes them so fascinating. As good as the young leads are, the true star of the film is Anita Poddębniak, a journeyman character actress who enters the film as a minor figure, but gradually steals the film away entirely, commanding every scene she is in as a woman in the other side of middle-age, struggling to come to terms with the facts of life, and how it doesn’t always work out the way we’d imagine. Poddębniak truly breaks our hearts through her spirited but shattering performance and eventually leaves the most lasting impression, which is an accomplishment for a film as character-driven as this.

It takes a lot of spunk and conviction to make a film that centres on the banal lives of individuals who don’t have any redeeming qualities other than their immense humanity, which is exactly where this film thrives, since its earnest and heartfelt appreciation of the smallest moments and how they make life worth living is incredible to see, and an enormous reason towards why Everyone Has a Summer is such a resounding success. It keeps everything very humble, and does ever dare deviate from its very sentimental core, in which some fascinating discussions are had, but not before the film takes the opportunity to present us with some harrowing social commentary that can sometimes be incredibly disorienting, but is neatly balanced by a boisterous, often hilarious, story of existence, which comes across so beautifully throughout this film. Everyone Has a Summer is very traditional, so it may never be considered particularly experimental – but for those who enjoy solid, well-made coming-of-age stories with an equal balance of exuberant comedy and meaningful drama, few films do it quite as well as this, and for those reasons (as well as a few others, such as the remarkable performances and the tremendously well-written screenplay that feels plucked directly from reality), Everyone Has a Summer is an absolute triumph and a film that dedicates itself solely to a solid premise, and emerges victorious every time.