37/31
Prabha, a nurse in Mumbai, finds her routine interrupted by an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a place in the city to be close to her lover. Director Payal Kapadia and the cast of All We Imagine As Light come together to share the most heartwarming reactions from Cannes and more! The first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. The film dramatizes the many challenges faced by single women living in Bombay and highlights their resilience. All the women here are nurses in the same hospital, but the similarities end there, as each has their own specific problems and, one might say, solutions. Desire, fear, regret and unwavering patience are the emotions that constantly alternate as the story quietly unfolds. Perhaps the biggest asset is the screenplay, which offers unusually rich and thoughtful dialogue between the characters. The amount of action in the story seems to be enough to provide a platform for conversations that, even when lying or pretending, are unusually honest and vulnerable with each other. The acting is uniformly excellent and rises to the level of the writing — there are no false notes, but there are some fascinating loose ends. The photography and editing are also quite adept at creating a reflective and somewhat detached atmosphere, complementing the quiet intensity of the characters’ interactions. The detachment is heightened in several places where the film seems to have incorporated documentary elements or certainly creates such a feeling. I would disagree with another reviewer’s statement, which many would not share. In my opinion, this film has too much heart and honesty to be categorized as cynical or manipulative – certainly no more than any other film that tries to tell an important story in a charming and beautiful way. And this film takes so many risks that I can’t imagine they would be okay in an increasingly sectarian and puritanical India. I recommend “All We Imagine as Light”.