The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The recent passing of Nadine's dog, calls to mind the film, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, made from Czechoslovakian author, Milan Kundera’s novel of the very same title.

Juliette Binoche and Daniel Day-Lewis star in this delightful film. Here is why Nadine's dog’s death brings this film to mind.

Character played by Day-Lewis is a medical doctor. Binoche, in the role of the doctor's wife, is exceptional.

We see this couple in the film purchase a puppy, which we watch become a dog, a big heavy pet. There is a piglet as well in the film, which becomes a big heavy pig before our eyes. The pig is the pet of a friend of this couple. The animals indicate so well the passage of time.

The dog gets old, falls ill. It is not taken to a vet. The doctor himself treats this pet, which they both cared for, played with and loved.

I find myself wondering if the doctor in Nadine’s life stepped in. Did he intervene to save his wife's poor pet, the passing of which, it seems, has left her so distraught?

Does it work like that though, outside of films, outside of Czechoslovakia? Can a medical doctor do a veterinarian’s job? What of vice versa?

I've avoided telling you what becomes of the dog or the pig in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”. You'll have to see it. I wish not to spoil it. It is a very fine film. Be assured of that.