3.5 out of 5 stars

All We Imagine as Light languidly chronicles the lives of three nurses who moved to Mumbai from smaller towns. The film uses these two women to explore life for people on the breadline, just about getting by with the little they have.

Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a senior sister, and Anu (Divya Prabha), her roommate, work at a Mumbai hospital specialising in women’s health. Prabha is desperately lonely yet overly cautious about the world around her. Anu is young and flighty, begging Prabha to cover her rent money.

All We Imagine as Light is more about exploring emotions and characters than delivering a powerful narrative. The events of the film are triggered when a rice cooker mysteriously appears from Europe at Prabha’s home. Meanwhile, Anu causes quite a scandal among the hospital personnel when they discover she’s secretly seeing a Muslim boy named Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon).

Meanwhile, their headstrong friend and co-worker Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam) is being threatened with eviction after a property developer buys up her building. She discovers her late husband has not left her with the correct documents to prove she has the right to remain in her home.

Payal Kapadia’s feature debut is a tribute to India and its character, doing so by focusing on its most populated city. Mumbai acts as a third character, almost as vital to the narrative as the three women. Set predominantly after dark, the Indian city is given the romantic glow usually associated with New York, Paris, or London. There is a yearning to this version of late-night Mumbai that cannot be achieved in the bustling daytime. Mumbai is missed in the third act when the trio leave to travel to the countryside.

The first Indian film from a female director to be included in the main competition strand at Cannes, All We Imagine as Light is a story predominantly about women. The tale feels feminist without pushing girl bossing down the audience’s throats. In a country where women remain invisible, the men are ghosts in this story, always present in their minds yet rarely physically. A patient in the hospital suffers from hallucinations of her deceased husband, and this represents the role men take in All We Imagine as Light.

All We Imagine as Light is reminiscent of Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days (2023). It’s almost documentary-like, focusing on the quiet, day-to-day moments rather than the big dramas. The opening metropolitan scenes offer a slice of docu-fiction, focusing on the mundane in a naturalistic way. The movie then takes on a magical, realistic turn as the three friends take a trip to Parvaty’s coastal birth village. The movie loses focus when it moves away from realism and dives into mysticism.

The key theme of the film is displacement. The women and their lovers communicate in different dialects, something lost if the audiences’ are relying on subtitles. Loneliness and alienation aren’t unique themes for cinema; the Mumbai setting offers a new perspective on the topics. India is a country battling with a melting pot of different religions, dialects, sensibilities, food, and social norms. This has created different levels of othering and class differences for Indians, especially for those moving from smaller towns to the city.

All We Imagine as Light is deceptively quiet and unhurried, lulling audiences through the lives of these three ordinary women. The monotony of watching the day-to-day wins and losses of healthcare workers will lure audiences into a false sense of security. The lack of connection and intimacy may leave people cold, but it smartly replicates the feeling of watching life unfold yet never truly feeling the warmth from it.

The movie looks visually appealing in a way that is both subtle but purposeful. Ranabir Das lenses the film predominantly in blue tones, enhanced by the blue nurses’ uniforms. It’s no coincidence the warm colours only appear when the trio leave Mumbai with the hope of change. The practical light, which offers a modest glamour, is emitted by phones, fairy lights, and fireworks, adding romance to the urban landscape. India is usually portrayed as bright and maximalist; this feels like a version of the country rarely seen on the big screen.

The film’s approach to sound design is also muted with an eerie calm recognisable to night workers. The quiet feels artificial and wrong when compared to the chaotic ambience expected from a city like Mumbai. Scored by TOPSHE (a.k.a. Dhritiman Das), the silence is punctured by an overwhelming piano theme. The piano adds a sombre seriousness to a movie that actually offers a lot of humour, occasionally becoming jarring.

All We Imagine as Light doesn’t want to write great monologues about grief and loneliness, instead using the location and cast to portray the layered themes. Divya Prabha, Kani Kusruti, and Chhaya Kadam are marvels in roles that require a great deal of internalisation. The writing and directing hang on the lead trio, forming an intimate connection with the audience. Otherwise, the film is simply a slow-paced slice of day-to-day life. Luckily, the lead actresses deliver a gentle humour and charm that will keep people engaged. Though initially unassuming, the film is a deceptively powerful film about the marginalised people who keep the country running without any of the glory.

It demands a lot from audiences. The film is held together by the loosest of narratives with ordinary daily occurrences forming the big plot points. Kapadia’s screenplay smartly crafts organic, naturalistic conversations that feel unscripted, but don’t expect any big swings. While it’s refreshing to see the lives of ordinary women unfold, there is little payoff or character development, which may be a struggle for audiences looking for something a little more fast-paced.

FRANCE • INDIA • NETHERLANDS • LUXEMBOURG • ITALY | 2024 | 115 MINUTES | 1.66:1 | COLOUR | MALAYALAM • HINDI • MARATHI

Cast & Crew

writer & director: Payal Kapadia.
starring: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam & Hridhu Haroon.