All We Imagine as Light

I have a profound appreciation for directors who possess this inherent ability to extract moments of intrigue from the monotonous aspects of life.

These filmmakers can illuminate even the most repetitive daily activities in a fresh manner, all while weaving narratives that delve deeper into complexities of human psychology and interpersonal relationships.

Payal Kapadia is one amongst them.

Her exploration of a wife's tiring loneliness, a young woman's sexual desires, and an elderly woman's struggle to leave her beloved home presents three women in circumstances that test their morals, challenge their upbringing, and, most importantly, confront their flawed perspectives.

While I admire Kapadia's narrative prowess, it is evident that the themes she addresses lack sufficient depth for development. The notable absence of conflict restricts the potential for these stories to evolve into something more substantive.

Not suggesting they didn't bear any fruits, but looking at the subjects being discussed, I had hoped for better.

A powerfully melancholic & profoundly intimate slice of social realism that's further bolstered by outstanding performances from its trio of ladies, All We Imagine As Light is as perceptive as it is patient, as vociferous in its silence as it is contemplative in its portrait and is as expertly crafted as it is sensibly told, thus announcing the arrival of a bold & fresh creative voice from the Indian filmmaking scene.

Written & directed by Payal Kapadia in her feature film debut, the film is an earnest reflection of everyday life in the bustling cosmopolitan that is Mumbai and makes for a sobering observation of the confines & constraints within which women of Indian society exist. Kapadia takes her time to acquaint us with her characters, gives them ample space to breathe and shows their plight & desires with tenderness.

What stands out about Kapadia's direction is the compassion in the sketching of her characters and gentleness with which each scene is shot. The cinematography is breathtaking, illuminating the rain-drenched, dimly-lit streets & spaces of the city in gorgeous colour palette, with camera angles that add to its mesmerising quality while additional enrichment comes from the excellent performances, evocative score & layered depths.

Overall, All We Imagine As Light inclines more towards an arthouse endeavour than mainstream offering and isn't going to satisfy every palate. The first half of the film is thoroughly riveting but once the setting changes from Mumbai to the beach town, the story slows down considerably & its runtime is deeply felt too despite the closure it brings. Ruminating on womanhood, loneliness, female desire & insecurities, Kapadia's film is a poetic meditation on migrant life in modern India.

You can tell by the reviews that this isn't a film for less mature audiences, or those that are ideologically agitated. That said, it's a beautifully intelligent film, mainly about three women, each at a different stage of their lives - one just getting started, another approaching middle age and a third nearing retirement who are dealing with the difficulties of being a woman in India and the social restraints that they experience in a society that is still very andro-centric. The world of Mumbai is rapidly changing and gentrifying, but these three, all nurses, see little benefit from the disruptive changes that surround them, even as they engage with it differently. In their own respective ways, each develops a trajectory - which may or may not work - for adapting even as they rely on and grow in relation to one another. It's a beautifully filmed invitation to witness the bustling energy of modern India's urban centers as well as it's more traditional village life. The dialogues tend to be somewhat minimal and invite analysis and introspection, even as the cinematography captures the tonality of life for Prahba, Anu and Parvaty in rich if somewhat concentrated brushstrokes. An accomplished work of film-making this is one not to be missed.

I really wanted to like this film after hearing so many positive reviews however it falls short of a masterpiece for me and is just another forgettable film that does nothing spectacular.

The film is about a Malayali nurse working in Bombay who lives away from her husband, she shares a room with another nurse who has a lover and they both find it hard to find a place. Third story is about an old woman being driven out of the house she lives in.

To my dismay the film gives in too much to the cliched tropes to the point of being downright predictable and boring. The protagonist is longing for a connection albeit she guards herself against it, at many points she is the super ego of the film shutting down the despairing cries of others with dictums yet by the end trying to imagine light in the darkness of her loneliness.

In that sense, her roommate is her antithesis, she has no inhibitions, she is in love with a Muslim boy and they are looking for a place to make love.

Recognize the beaten path of a storyline of a subdued woman, she is shown to be too righteous, almost like a nun, as a matter of fact the background score of the film is taken from a piece composed by an Ethiopian nun. In many ways it reminded me of Ishiguro's "Remains of the day". The story of the roommate and her lover really didn't add that much to the story other than working as a filler for sex, I'm personally not a big fan of misplaced nudity and sex in films, it's exploitative in nature and does little to carry the story.

The story about the old lady started off as a social commentary on class, and the hidden rules of society, at one point she questions whether she should confront the reality of her existence or get indulged in the illusion like everyone else. She ends up leaving the city for her hometown. This story goes nowhere and thus it felt underwhelming.

All in all, the film doesn't say anything new, it does not punch you in the gut like Salaam Bombay, it doesn't make you somber like The Lunchbox however one cannot help but admire Payal Kapadia's craft, I have seen numerous films on Bombay but nothing captures it like the film does but it felt like - specially in the second half of the film - that she was trying very hard to make each story reconcile and come to closure.

By no means I'm calling this a bad film, it's crafty and well made but fails to say anything that has not been said before through film.

The dreamy score that meanders throughout this freewheeling film, played on sombre images that evoke nostalgic despair, is a pleasure to watch. I was more fascinated by the makers' attention to detail in carving out a Bombay that goes against the popular image and instead shows you its cloying nature. Three women find it difficult to navigate their lonely lives in the city as the camera follows them in public places and into their privacy. I was able to relate to the characters, having lived in Bombay for decades, but the film does go a bit haywire towards the end, and you could blame it on me I lost track there. Overall, a good experience, thanks to the soundtrack and good use of textual design (especially the red font).

(Watched at its Bombay premiere at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)