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Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Derek de Lint, Erland Josephson ... see more see more... , Donald Moffat , Pavel Landovsky , Daniel Olbrychski , Stellan Skarsgård , Tomek Bork , Jean-Claude Bouillon , Jacques Ciron , Consuelo de Havilland , Leon Lissek , Charles Millot , Bruce Myers , Hana-Maria Pravda , Pavel Slaby , Jirí Stanislav , Vladimír Valenta , Marrian Walters , Niven Busch , Josiane Leveque , Jan Nemec , Laszlo Szabo , Anne Lonnberg , Jacqueline Abraham-Vernier , Judith Atwell , Claudine Berg , Miroslav Breuer , Margot Capelier , Victor Chelkoff , Monica Constandache , Clovis Cornillac , Jean-Claude Dauphin , Pascale Kalensky , Bernard Lepinaux , Peter Majer , Gerard Moulevrier , Charley Oleg , Syovie Plantard , Olga Baidar Poliakoff , Christine Pottier , Romano , Andre Sanfratello , Milos Svoboda , Helenka Verner , Dominique de Moncuit , Tomasz Borkowy

In Philip Kaufman's surprisingly successful film adaptation of Czech author Milan Kundera's demanding 1984 best-seller, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Tomas, an overly amorous Prague surgeon, while Juliett... read more read more...e Binoche plays Tereza, the waiflike beauty whom he marries. Even though he's supposedly committed, Tomas continues his wanton womanizing, notably with his silken mistress Sabina (Lena Olin). Escaping the 1968 Russian invasion of Prague by heading for Geneva, Sabina takes up with another man and unexpectedly develops a friendship with Tereza. Meanwhile, Tomas, who previously was interested only in sex, becomes politicized by the collapse of Czechoslovakia's Dubcek regime. The Unbearable Lightness of Being may be too leisurely for some viewers, but other viewers may feel the same warm sense of inner satisfaction that is felt after finishing a good, long novel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

83% liked it

18,012 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

18 critics

R, 2 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Philip Kaufman

Release Date: February 5, 1988

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DVD Release Date: February 28, 2006

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Stats: 1,086 reviews

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Lena Olin Lena Olin Lena Olin in The Unbearable Lightness of Being Juliette Binoche The Unbearable Lightness of Being The Unbearable Lightness of Being The Unbearable Lightness of Being Sabina Lena Olin
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Flixster Reviews (1,086)

  • ebs90
    September 26, 2008
    ebs90
    The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a gorgeous adaptation of Milan Kundera's novel of the same name (one of my favorite books). It's the story of Tomas, a surgeon living in Prague in the 1960s. He feels life is light and that his actions have weightless consequences. He goes thr... read moreough life fleeing anything that might put weight on him: he's a womanizer who runs away from the slightest form of committment, and an intelligent man who nevertheless avoids assuming a politicial position outspokenly in a time in which that was an almost obvious thing to do for any thinking citizen.

    Tereza, played by Juliette Binoche, is a countrygirl who falls in love with Tomas. She thrusts her weight on his life when he can't help falling in love with her and making her a part of his life.

    The film focuses, mainly on the conflict between Tomas's idea of a weightless life and Tereza's impossibility of understanding that philosophy. Tereza thinks everything is of consequence and she struggles to liberate herself from wieght, while Tomas can't help but feeling life is light and struggles to accept Tereza without sacrificing his "infidelities". It's a very interesting drama, and the way it unfolds is captivating. Without being overly sentimental, TULB manages to show the dynamics of a relationship between two people in love who simply can't come to an agreement about how to interpret the aggressive world around them, but who nevertheless try hard to make it work.

    The tense, oppressive atmosphere of 1960s Czechoslovakia, the Russian occupation, the persecution of intellectuals, is present as the threatening backdrop for
    the love story. It's especially heavy on Tomas, who keeps rejecting the notion that anything may be worth troubling oneself for until the persecution reaches him too.

    Lena Olin plays Sabina, Tomas's best friend and lover who shares his idea of a world without weight. She never ever succumbs to anyone's weight, and finds an ending in accordance to her pursuit of lightness.

    Although these (Kundera's) ideas may seem complicated or way too abstract for a movie, they are well exposed and every scene conveys them really well. I do prefer the book to the film, but this adaptation has its own charm. The cinematography is breathtaking and the performances are great from all the cast. Daniel Day-Lewis was perfectly cast as Tomas, and I couldn't think of anyone with the right amount of both vulnerability and strength better than Juliette Binoche to play Tereza.

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a beautiful movie that can also provoke thought (wow) and be visually seductive and engaging. It's dramatic and funny and serious and naive all at once. It's romantic, and sometimes sad. And it's a faithful adaptation of the book. Couldn't ask for more.
  • 76Majikat
    September 10, 2008
    76Majikat
    It was more like ?the unbearable anticipation that the end of the film will be soon?! This film seemed to go on forever, without any excitement, in fact, this has to be one of the dullest films ever made and that?s uncharacteristic of both Daniel Day Lewis and Juliette Binoche.
  • RossCollinsUK
    August 30, 2008
    RossCollinsUK
    Against the backdrop of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, a Prague doctor and womaniser finds himself in a relationship with the naive young Tereza, whilst still enjoying carnal delights with his artist lover. An intelligent romantic-drama with an insight into the politics o... read moref bohemian Prague at that time. It would seem too long at 3 hours if it were not for the numerous gratuitous sex scenes that add some spice to the more serious aspects of the drama.
  • tsigur
    October 15, 2007
    tsigur
    An all around amazing film.
  • jjnxn
    August 4, 2007
    jjnxn
    I know people who loved it but for me it was like watching paint dry.
  • deano
    July 1, 2007
    deano
    Average erotic-romantic-drama triangle story of a womanizing surgeon, an artist and bookwormer become photographer in Prague. I like Lena Olin's beautiful body in her sex and nudity scenes.
  • pier007
    June 25, 2007
    pier007
    A desirable and tender drama with strong performances, good script, and solid direction.
  • bcavros
    January 11, 2012
    bcavros
    Set in a Tolstoy-esque world the rambling uneven narrative focus' on the the smallest details of the three main characters lives. Kaufman leaves each character as an enigma instead of developing them the audience is left to guess at there back story through the furtherance of the... read more plot. I enjoyed the excess nudity it is a player in the film but never reaches the point of soft core pron (sic).
    The action of the story makes the 3+ hours float by, but it never reach's a level of being totally engrossing. The break between disc 1 and 2 is very natural and watching disc 1 makes disc 2 a cliff-hanger of sorts.
  • thirdway821
    November 19, 2011
    thirdway821
    Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a doctor and a lady-killer in 1960s Czechoslovakia, an apolitical man who is struck with love for the bookish country girl Tereza; his more sophisticated sometime lover Sabina eventually accepts their relationship and the two women form an electric fri... read moreendship.

    Although it's three hours long this picture never seems to bore. Great performances from Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin. TULOB is an awesome experience and one of the best.
  • simeondeutsch1
    July 24, 2010
    simeondeutsch1
    Very long, very moving, and very adult. A good performance from Juliette Binoche and detailed characters. 78/100

View All The Unbearable Lightness of Being Reviews

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
December 26, 2010
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Engaging, well-acted, often lyrical rendition of Milan Kundera's famous novel, Philip Kaufman's film contains some of the most erotic scenes to be in seen in an American picture Full Review

Bob Bloom
December 19, 2002
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

A wonderful political, sexy drama with outstanding performances. A provacative excursion.

October 16, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 5, 1988
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 6, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Philip Martin
March 27, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

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Facts

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    • Tereza: In Prague, I only needed you for love. In Switzerland, I was dependant on you for everything.
    • Tereza: Life is very heavy to me and it is so light to you.
    • Tereza: There is love and there is sex and sex is entertainment like football.
    • Tereza: Prague has grown so ugly.
    • Tomas: Take off your clothes!
    • Tereza: I am weak, I am going back to the country of the weak.
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being Trivia

  • Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, & Lena Olin?  Answer »
  • Which actor starred in all these movies: A Room with a View; The Unbearable Lightness of Being; The Boxer; My Beautiful Launderette and Gangs of New York?  Answer »
  • On which Czech writers novel the movie The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) was based on?  Answer »
  • Daniel Day-Lewis is famous for never breaking character on- or off-set while filming. During the production of which film did he first begin this habit?  Answer »
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