本片根据米兰·昆德拉的同名小说改编。1968年，布拉格外科手术医生托马斯（丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯 Daniel Day-Lewis 饰）生活在对女人追逐的快乐中，享受着性的快感。画家萨比娜（莉娜·奥琳 Lena Olin 饰）是托马斯的红颜知己，但在一次去温泉疗养院出诊的过程中，托马斯结识了女招待特蕾莎（朱丽叶·比诺什Juliette Binoche 饰）。不久，特蕾莎只身来到布拉格，二人结婚。托马斯在婚后依然不改与萨比娜或其他女人偷情的恶习，特蕾莎无法忍受托马斯的不忠，深夜出走，却碰上苏联武装入侵捷克。三人先后逃亡至瑞士日内瓦，萨比娜认识了当地大学教授弗兰茨（德雷克·德·林特 Derek de Lint 饰），特蕾莎失去工作终日闷闷不乐，带着小狗卡列宁孤身重返布拉格。在自由与束缚之间，托马斯究竟该如何选择呢？ 
　　本片是1988年美国十佳影片之一，获1989年奥斯卡最佳摄影、最佳改编剧本提名，金球奖最佳剧情片和最佳女配角（莉娜·奥琳）提名，并获英国电影电视协会最佳改编剧本奖，美国影评人协会最佳导演和最佳影片奖。

1．I really like you,Thomas.You are the complete opposite of kitsch.In the kingdom of kitsch,you would be a monster.
我很喜欢你，托马斯。你完全站在庸俗的对立面，在庸俗的王国里，你会是一个怪物。

2．--Are you only searching for pleasure？Or is every woman a new land whose secrets you want to discover？You want to know what she's going to say when she makes love？Or how she will smile？How she will whisper？Groan...scream？你只是在寻找快感么，还是说每个女人都像新大陆充满了你想发现的秘密？你想知道她做*爱时会说什么或者笑的怎样？如何耳语？呻吟...尖叫？
--Maybe the very smallest...unimaginable details...Tiny things that make one woman totally unlike other.也许是最小的...难以想象的细节，微笑的事情才让每个女人与众不同。

3．If i had two live，with one，I’d have her stay at my place.With the other,I'd kick her out.Then I’d compare and see which was best.But we only live once.Life's so light like an outline we can't ever fill in or correct make any better.It's frightening.如果我能活两次，一次，我会让她住下，另一次，我会把她赶走,然后我就会比较得出最佳的选择但是我们只活一次，生命是如此之轻，就像一个轮廓，我们无法填充或者修正让它变得更美好，真是可怕。

4．I always try not to get too attached to a place,to objects.Or to people.
我总是试着不对一个地方太有感情，或者对一个东西，或者对人。

5．And I had such pain from seeing you thar I started to pierce needles under my fingernails to stop the pain in my heart。
我看着你，我感觉无比痛苦，我甚至开始用针戳指甲下面用来缓解心中的痛苦。

6．Some people never change.Some people are always scoundrels.
有些人永远不会变，有些人永远是恶棍。

7．Don't think a life is walk on a sunny meadow.Life isn't a walk on a sunny meadow and life isn't a walk on a rose garden.
别以为生活是在阳光牧场上散步,生活不是这样的，也不是在玫瑰花园里散步。

8．Tomas，I know I'm supposed to help you,but I can't.Instead of being your support,I'm your weight.Life is very heavy to me,and it is so light to you.I can't bear this lightness,this freedom.I'm not strong enough.In Prague,I only needed you for love.In Switzerland,I was dependent on you for everything.What would happen if you abandoned me？I’m weak.I'm going back to the country of the weak.Goodbye.I'm sorry,but I've taken Karenin.
托马斯，我知道我应该去帮你，但是我做不到，我不仅没有帮到你，还成为了你的负担。生活对我太沉重了，对你却那么轻。我不能承受这生命之轻，不能承受这自由。我不够坚强，在布拉格，我只需要你的爱。在瑞士，我一切都得靠你。如果你抛弃我，我该怎么办？我很脆弱，我正回到我脆弱的祖国。再见！我很抱歉，但是我带上了卡列宁。

9．There is love and there is sex,and sex is entertainment,like football.I know it's light.I wish I could believe you,but how can someone make love without being in love？I just don't know.Let me try.Oh,no.You're reject me if I tried.I wish I could be like you insensitive,strong，stong。
爱和性不一样，性只是娱乐，像足球，我知道它不算什么。我希望我能相信你，但是没有爱情，怎么做爱？我就是不明白，让我试试。哦，不。如果我试了，你会不要我的。我希望我能像你一样，好不敏感，坚强，坚强。

10．I was forced to love my brother,but not to love this dog.You know,Tomas,maybe...maybe I love her more than I love you.Not more.I mean in a better way.I'm not jealous of her.I don't want her to be different.I don't ask her for anything back.
我是被逼去爱我母亲的，但不是被逼去爱这只狗。你知道吗，托马斯，也许...也许我爱她超过爱你，不是超过，我是说以更好的方式。我不会因为她吃醋，我不需要让她与众不同，我不要任何回报。