In the city, thoughtful Nurse Prabha’s routine is upset when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger, flightier and rebellious roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her secret boyfriend. Their colleague Parvaty fights to stay in her home without any requisite paperwork left by her late husband. A trip to a beach town allows them each to find a space for their desires to manifest.
The Garden Cinema View:
Payal Kapadia’s hugely acclaimed fiction debut was the first Indian film to be selected in Official Competition at Cannes in three decades, where it received an eight minute standing ovation and was awarded the Grand Prix.
All We Imagine as Light is an excellent character study of three women from different generations facing distinct challenges. The gradual unfolding of their friendship bond is masterfully depicted. Equally prominent is the city of Mumbai, in all its chaotic and sensual energy. Though the film explores the city's class inequalities and aggressive gentrification, it never falls into kitchen-sink drama clichés, and retains a dreamlike, poetic quality. The excellent soundtrack by R&B Kolkata artist Topshe also amplifies the city's seductive atmosphere.
All We Imagine as Light is cinema at its best. Rather than heavily relying on one cinematic element, Kapadia skilfully combines image, sound, and performance to convey meaning beyond words. In this sense, this is the closest film to visual poetry we have seen recently.
