AMERICAN DREAMS
1. The Unbearable Lightness of Being Philip Kaufman, 1988
In her first American role, Juliette Binoche embodies an image of femininity which, while largely conforming to the cliché of the sensual French actress, also strays from that notion significantly. The film is centered on characters who practically live to fulfill one another’s every sexual desire — the unbearable horniness of being, if you will? Binoche plays the square: a young ingénue who doesn’t understand love under the set terms. But a square doesn’t have to be boring. The fearlessness that Binoche demonstrated in Leos Carax’ Mauvais Sang two years prior can be seen here in the squeals and tears of the agitated, desperately lovestruck Tereza. Even in clunkier scenes, her enthusiasm, levity and sense of humour flavour the film with some much needed spice.
