48/46
In Mumbai, nurse Prabha’s routine is disrupted when she receives an unexpected gift from her ex-husband. Her young roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a place in the city to connect with her boyfriend. Director Payal Kapadia and the cast of All We Imagine As Light team up to share the most touching reactions from Cannes and beyond. The first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. This film dramatizes the many challenges faced by single women living in Bombay and highlights their resilience. All the women here work as nurses in the same hospital, but that’s where the similarities end, as each has their own problems and, arguably, solutions. Desire, fear, regret and an unflappable patience are the emotions that constantly replace each other as the story quietly unfolds. Probably the biggest plus is the script, which offers unusually rich and thoughtful dialogue between the characters. The amount of action in the plot seems enough to provide a stage for conversations where people have the space to be unusually honest and open with each other, even when they’re lying or posing. The acting is equally excellent and lives up to the script: there are no false notes, though there are some tantalizing loose ends. The cinematography and editing are also quite good at creating a reflective and somewhat detached atmosphere, which complements the quiet intensity of the characters’ interactions. The detachment is accentuated at several moments where the film seems to incorporate elements of a documentary, or certainly creates a sense of one. I wasn’t always thrilled with the music and how it was used, but that’s a small detail that many might not share. I take issue with another reviewer’s assertion that this film was intended as «awards bait.» In my opinion, there’s too much heart and honesty in this film to be labeled cynical or manipulative; certainly no more so than in any other film that seeks to tell an important story in a compelling and beautiful way. And this film takes a lot of risks that I don’t think would be welcomed in an increasingly sectarian and puritanical India. I highly recommend «All We Imagine Is Light.»
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