Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a good-looking Czech brain surgeon who has more than luck with women; they hunt and pursue him. Consequently, he has more than his share of one-night stands, as well as several on-going but intermittent love affairs. He's called out to a spa in a rural part of the country to perform an operation. There, he sees and is smitten by pretty Tereza (Juelitte Binoche). He follows her to her job in the spa's bar. Once she notices him, she's interested as well. They meet after her shift, but Tomas must leave to get back to Prague. He tells her he maybe back one day, and leaves. Tereza can't forget him, tracks him down in Prague, and goes to his apartment. An affair ensues. Tereza soon learns, though, that Tomas has no intention of giving up his dalliances with other women. One of his long-term affairs involves Sabina (Lena Olin), who grudgingly accepts the new woman in Tomas' life.
As all of this is happening in the Spring of 1968, during the so-called Prague Spring, when the bonds of long-time communist rule is loosening a bit. There's a new freedom, to dance, party, and criticize the government. Tomas, who is motivated more by a woman's glance than politics, nevertheless gets into the spirit of things, and writes an article that is critical of the communist government. Soviet tanks begin to rumble into Czechoslovakia, and the crackdown begins. Tomas and Tereza flee to Geneva, but she goes back to Prague when she realizes Tomas is back to his womanizing ways.
The film is a long one (171 minutes over two DVDs), but it doesn't drag one bit. Day-Lewis is excellent as Tomas, and man who loves women, but not just one at a time. Binoche is young and pretty, and convincingly vulnerable and sensitive. Olin is effective as the steady-as-a-rock Sabina, who befriends Tereza when she realizes how ill-equipped she is to handle the complex relationship. The set design is good, and gives a glimpse of how the ordinary Czech must have lived. The scenes in Prague are beautiful (as is Prague itself, though most ot the film was shot in France). There are scenes of the actual Soviet invasion, and Day-Lewis and Binoche are interwoven into the old footage. It's effective.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a very good and romantic film. It's about a mature topic, handled well. The oppression that was the USSR is on display here as well.
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