Kapadia's quiet yet subtly beautiful film that has garnered such international acclaim is well deserving. It's a lovely little rumination on the melancholy surrounding love. Kusruti's central character is painfully distant until her experience allows her to finally let go and Prabha's young nurse is desperate for passion and her pursuit of it is lovely and gorgeous. All We Imagine As Light is meditative but powerful and pays off with a climax filled with a delightful, peaceful, joy.
Kapadia films her story in a verite style yet captures quite a bit of beauty in the real world she is filming. I loved how the film began, centring us in Mumbai while hearing the thoughts of random citizens as they make their way through the metropolis. We are introduced to our two protagonists and how the city is both surrounding them and alienating them. The two actors do such wonderful work, even if their characters both feel a bit stereotypical. Despite that, each is allowed to have strong moments where they break free from what we expect of them.
For me it was the end scene that really made All We Imagine As Light so worthwhile. It first of all affirms what both the women we have followed have gone through, their passions, and their struggles. But it also gives them both some relief, perhaps not their wildest dreams come true, but they go into the future better off.
All We Imagine As Light
Starring: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon
Writer/Director: Payal Kapadia
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