Overview
A passionate love story set against the backdrop of political upheaval and personal turmoil.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sensual
- melancholic
- philosophical
- literary adaptation night
- arthouse film evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film for artfully blending erotic relationships with the political and social upheaval of the Prague Spring.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tomas's serial affairs conflict with his attachment to Tereza, while Sabina pursues freedom without abandoning intimacy.
The Prague Spring and Soviet invasion directly transform the lives and choices of Tomas, Tereza, and Sabina.
Erotic encounters, photography, and images of occupation are framed with heightened, reflective visual emphasis.
The film adapts Milan Kundera's novel and places intimate choices within an explicitly philosophical and historical framework.
Films like The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and why
Doctor Zhivago
shared erotic romance, political upheaval, and emotionally conflicted relationships
The English Patient
shared historical romance, sensuality, and personal lives disrupted by ideological conflict
The Lives of Others
shared European political repression, sexual mores, and intimate moral ambiguity
Movie Details
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
- Release Date
- 1988-02-05
- Runtime
- 171 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (541)
Cast
- Daniel Day-Lewis
- Juliette Binoche
- Lena Olin
- Derek de Lint
- Stellan Skarsgård
- Erland Josephson
- Pavel Landovský
- Donald Moffat
- Daniel Olbrychski
- Tomasz Borkowy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Unbearable Lightness of Being about?
- A sensual, philosophically charged love triangle is tested by the Prague Spring and the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia.
- What is The Unbearable Lightness of Being like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Unbearable Lightness of Being as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Unbearable Lightness of Being violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Unbearable Lightness of Being as mild.
- What did critics think of The Unbearable Lightness of Being?
- Critics broadly praised the film for artfully blending erotic relationships with the political and social upheaval of the Prague Spring.
- Which films are like The Unbearable Lightness of Being?
- Films with a similar feel include Doctor Zhivago, The English Patient, and The Lives of Others.
- How long is The Unbearable Lightness of Being?
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being runs 171 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Unbearable Lightness of Being?
- In United States, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
