The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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SIMAS C @simas_eros 5 days ago Based on Milan Kundera’s extraordinary book, this nearly three-hour epic reveals the strengths of Philip Kaufman (Henry & June; Quills) as both director and screenwriter. He succeeds not only in imbuing the film with the aesthetic quality it deserves—utilizing shadows, mists, subtle tonal gradations, and a sense of "grittiness"—but also in capturing the visual and verbal lyricism that defines the original story. Featuring excellent performances and highly sensual scenes, this odyssey of a libertine doctor—caught between his marriage and a mistress amidst the backdrop of war in Eastern Europe—transcends the category of a mere erotic film, exploring profound questions about freedom, love, life, and death, both on an individual level and within society. See more

Katie H @RT22171231 Jul 6, 2025 I loved the book so I was excited to see the film adaptation. Lewis, Olin and Binoche were so well cast and gave memorable performances. See more

Leaburn O @RT35452347 Nov 1, 2024 As good as a screen version of this all time great novel could hope to be. Of all the films I’ve ever seen this one resonates most as, honestly just read the book but this is a reasonable accompaniment after reading. Watched on DVD. See more

Feb 6, 2023 A young Daniel Day Lewis, Juliette Binoche, and Lena Olin in a complicated love story directed by Phillip Kaufman Taking place in Prague 1968 A man named Tomas leaves Prague for an operation, meets a young photographer named Tereza and brings her back with him Tereza is surprised to learn that Tomas is already having an affair with the bohemian Sabina but when the Soviet invasion occurs, all three flee to Switzerland Sabina begins an affair, Tom continues womanizing, and Tereza, disgusted, returns to Czechoslovakia Realizing his mistake, Tomas decides to chase after her This story does stretch itself at 3 hours and there's a ton of sex and nudity Yet it is a profoundly beguiling movie about sex, love, and rebellion One narrative arc in particular with them adopting a dog at a certain point, is central to the novel yet minimized onscreen, resonates with a broader history of feminist theories of animal ethics There's a very saddening scene towards the end that made me well up The movie still gets by on wonderful atmospherics of a besieged culture thanks to Kaufman's direction and the sizzling chemistry of the three leads See more

dave s @RT68722908 Mar 16, 2022 Set in Czechoslovakia in 1968, Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being follows the relationship between neurosurgeon Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis) and photographer Tereza (Juliette Binoche) at the time of the Soviet Union's invasion of the country. Featuring great performances from a trio of excellent young actors early in their respective careers, including Lena Olin, typically great cinematography from Sven Nykvist, and an emotional music score courtesy of Mark Adler, it touches on themes of loyalty, power and idealism, both in the context of relationships and politics. While the running time may scare off some viewers (it almost hits the three-hour mark), it is well worth the time invested. See more

Per S @RT83737705 Mar 15, 2022 There are many factors that make The Unbearable Lightness of Being a remarkable film, first of all that it's based on a very good novel, of the same name by Milan Kundera, but perhaps most of all that the three main actors all had their international breakthrough with it, even if the film didn't become a box office hit. However, at least two of them, Juliette Binoche and Daniel Day-Lewis, are now considered among the most respected film acting performers of their time. Lena Olin has also had her fair share of glory, at least in the following little over decade after its release. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being they all deliver very solid acting performances, and with cinematography, direction and editing by Sven Nyquist, Philip Kaufman and Walter Murch, everything else is well taken care of. There are other factors too, but the plot having the Prague Spring and the following Soviet invasion as a backdrop, makes it accidently and particularly time relevant, considering the current situation in Ukraine. A moderne version of the plot could easily have been situated there in stead of 1968 Czechoslovakia. The basic topics of love, lust, infidelity, eroticism, art, and the freedom in living, will forever be timeless. definitely also the paranoia with totalitarianism. This is a film absolutely worth a second watch. See more

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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