The Unbearable Lightness of Being

During the Prague Spring of 1968 with the communist Russians invading and the Czechoslovakian people asserting their independence, a Czech doctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) seems only concerned with sex. Of all his women, he claims that only one (Lena Olin) truly understands him. While on business he meets a young waitress (Juliette Binoche) and the two marry while he keeps up his affairs although she desires monogomy. Soon however, the two are thrust into political turmoil and forced to flee the country, which is when their love is truly allowed to blossom. Directed by Philip Kaufman from a major novel by Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a leisurely paced and extremely erotic movie which Kauffman allows to take its time and flesh out, while getting to the heart of the story which may not appear to be what it is at first. In one of Day-Lewis's first starring roles, he shines as a callow man who soon comes to terms with the woman he loves. Olin and Binoche are wonderful as well in challenging roles. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is not for all film goers, but for those who give it a shot, they will find a beautifully realized love story where they weren't expecting one.