ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT Trailer (2024) Kani Kusruti

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT Trailer (2024) Kani Kusruti

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT Trailer (2024) Kani Kusruti
© 2025 - Janus Films

"You could just vanish into thin air, and no one would even know." Janus Films has revealed the official US trailer for an acclaimed indie drama titled All We Imagine As Light, made by a young Indian filmmaker named Payal Kapadia. This first premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year as one of the most acclaimed films of the festival, picking up the Grand Prix award. The Mumbai-set story follows two nurses & roommates who head off on trip to a beach town to find a space where their desires can manifest. Nurse Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. The cast features Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon. They escape to a coastal town which leads them to break free from the constraints that have defined their entire existence thus far. Many of effusive critics quotes are included in this trailer, highlighting just how loved it is by critics. It also played at Karlovy Vary, TIFF, Telluride, NYFF, San Sebastian, Vancouver, & others. Keep an eye out for this.

Here's the official US trailer for Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, direct from YouTube:

All We Imagine As Light Film

All We Imagine As Light Film

You can rewatch the festival promo for Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light right here for the first look.

Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha) are nurses living in Mumbai who are both troubled by their relationships. Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. The two embark on road trip to a beach town where "the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest." All We Imagine As Light is written and directed by the Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, making her narrative feature directorial debut after directing the doc film A Night of Knowing Nothing previously, as well as many other short films before this. It's produced by Julien Graff and Thomas Hakim. This initially premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year in the Main Competition - where it won the Grand Prix award. It also played at TIFF this fall. Janus Films will debut Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light in select US theaters starting November 15th, 2024 coming soon this fall. Look good?
All We Imagine as Light

Promotional poster
Malayalam പ്രഭയായ് നിനച്ചതെല്ലാം
Directed by Payal Kapadia
Written by Payal Kapadia
Produced by
Thomas Hakim
Julien Graff
Starring
Kani Kusruti
Divya Prabha
Chhaya Kadam
Hridhu Haroon
Cinematography Ranabir Das
Edited by Clément Pinteaux
Music by Topshe
Production
companies
Petit Chaos
Chalk & Cheese Films
BALDR Film
Les Films Fauves
Another Birth
Pulpa Films
Arte France Cinéma
Distributed by
Condor Distribution (France)
Spirit Media (India)
September Film (Netherlands)
Release dates
23 May 2024 (Cannes)
21 September 2024 (India)
2 October 2024 (France)
Running time 115 minutes
Countries
France
India
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Italy
Languages Malayalam
Hindi
Marathi
All We Imagine as Light (Malayalam: പ്രഭയായ് നിനച്ചതെല്ലാം) is a 2024 Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Payal Kapadia. The cast includes Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon. The film was an international co-production involving companies from France, India, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy.

All We Imagine as Light premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2024. It was the first film from India to compete in the main competition since 1994, and won the Grand Prix.

Plot
Prabha and Anu are Malayali nurses living in Mumbai who are both troubled by their relationships. The two embark on a road trip to a beach town where "the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest."[clarification needed][1][2]

Cast
Kani Kusruti as Prabha
Divya Prabha as Anu
Chhaya Kadam as Parvaty
Hridhu Haroon as Shiaz
Azees Nedumangad as Dr. Manoj
Tintumol Joseph as Nurse Shanet
Production
The film was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julian Graff through their French-based company Petit Chaos, in co-production with the Indian companies Chalk & Cheese Films and Another Birth, as well as by the Netherlands's BALDR Film, Luxembourg's Les Films Fauves, Italy's Pulpa Films and France's Arte France Cinéma. Hakim first met Kapadia at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in 2018. This was the first feature film produced by Chalk & Cheese, which previously produced commercials for nine years.[3][4]

Kapadia used money from the Huub Bals grant and Cinéfondation to reside in Europe in order to plan the film production with Hakim. Financing for the film was obtained from Arte, Cineworld, CNC, Condor, Eurimages, Gan Foundation, Hubert Bals Fund, Luxbox, Pulpa Film, and Visions Sud Est.[3]

Filming was done in Mumbai over the course of twenty-five days and then in Ratnagiri for fifteen days.[3]

Release

Actresses Chhaya Kadam, Divya Prabha, director Payal Kapadia, actress Kani Kusruti, and actor Hridhu Haroon at the All We Imagine As Light press conference at 2024 Cannes Film Festival
All We Imagine as Light was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 23 May,[5] and received an eight minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.[6][7] This is the first film from India to compete in the main competition at Cannes since Swaham in 1994, and Kapadia is the first Indian female filmmaker to do so.[3] It won the Grand Prix, becoming the first Indian film to do so.[8]

Janus Films and distribution partner Sideshow acquired the North American rights for the film on 20 May.[9] The film was also played at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.[10] It was released in France by Condor Distribution on 2 October 2024.[11] On September 9, 2024, it was announced that Spirit Media, founded by Indian actor Rana Daggubati, had acquired Indian distribution rights to the film.[12] On September 19, 2024, Spirit Media announced that the film would begin its Oscar-qualifying release with a limited theatrical release in Kerala beginning September 21, where it will be released under the Malayalam title Prabhayay Ninachathellam, followed by major cities throughout India.[13]

The film has been selected as the opening film for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024.[14]

Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 51 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9/10.[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 93 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on 31 reviews from French critics.[17]

Peter Bradshaw, writing in The Guardian, gave the film five stars and praised it as an "absorbing story of three nurses that is full of humanity".[18] Nicholas Barber, writing in the BBC, also gave the film five stars.[19]

All We Imagine as Light was one of the 4 films shortlisted by France's Oscar committee to be selected as the country's official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.[20][21]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 25 May 2024 Palme d'Or Payal Kapadia In Competition [22]
Grand Prix Won [23]
Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai – Special Mention Won [24]
Sydney Film Festival 16 June 2024 Best Film All We Imagine as Light Nominated [25]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 28 September 2024 RTVE-Another Look Award Won [26]
Chicago International Film Festival 27 October 2024 Gold Hugo Pending [27]
Asia Pacific Screen Awards 30 November 2024 Best Film All We Imagine as Light Pending [28]
Best Director Payal Kapadia Pending
Best Screenplay Pending
Best Performance Kani Kusruti Pending
Best Cinematography Ranabir Das Pending
References
"Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light is first Indian film in 30 years to make it to Cannes' competition section". Indian Express. 11 April 2024. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
Chhabra, Aseem (24 May 2024). "All We Imagine as Light: Indian sisterhood story earns glowing reviews at Cannes". BBC Home. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
Ntim, Zac (18 May 2024). "Made In India: The World's Biggest Film Industry Hasn't Had A Film In The Cannes Competition Since 1994 ... Until Now". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024.
Hopewell, John (7 August 2022). "Cannes Best Doc Laureate Payal Kapadia Next Racks Up Production Partners for Petit Chaos (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
"The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Cannes Film Festival. 8 May 2024. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
"Cannes 2024: Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' brings India back in competition with eight-minute standing ovation". The Hindu. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
"Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light', The First Indian Film In The Cannes Competition In 30 Years, Gets 8-Minute Ovation Following World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
Das, Santanu (25 May 2024). "Cannes Film Festival: All We Imagine As Light scripts history, becomes first Indian film to win Grand Prix". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
Keslassy, Elsa (20 May 2024). "Sideshow, Janus Films Buy Payal Kapadia's Cannes Competition Entry 'All We Imagine as Light' for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
"All We Imagine as Light". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
"All We Imagine as Light" (in French). Condor. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
"'Baahubali' Star Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media Acquires India Rights to Payal Kapadia's Cannes Winner 'All We Imagine as Light' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
"Cannes Prizewinner 'All We Imagine as Light' to Begin Indian Oscar-Qualifying Run With Kerala Theatrical Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
Staff, Scroll (9 October 2024). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will open with Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine as Light'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
"All We Imagine as Light". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 October 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
"All We Imagine as Light". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
"All We Imagine as Light: Les critiques presse" (in French). AlloCiné. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
Bradshaw, Peter (23 May 2024). "All We Imagine As Light review – dreamlike and gentle modern Mumbai tale is a triumph". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
Barber, Nicholas (24 May 2024). "All We Imagine as Light review: Will this 'magical' ode to nocturnal Mumbai win the Palme d'Or?". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
"Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light shortlisted by France for Oscars". News Mintue.
"Cannes Winner 'All We Imagine as Light' at Center of Oscar Entry Battle Between France and India (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
Ntim, Zac (11 April 2024). "Cannes Film Festival Lineup Set: Competition Includes Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino & Abbasi's Trump Movie — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
Richlin, Harrison (25 May 2024). "'Anora' Wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes (Complete Winners List)". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
"Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai 2024 : LES GRAINES DU FIGUIER SAUVAGE de Mohammad Rasoulof". Association Française des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai (in French). Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
Rosser, Michael (7 May 2024). "Sydney Film Festival reveals 2024 competition line-up". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
"Todos los ganadores del Festival de San Sebastián 2024". Escribiendo Cine. 28 September 2024.
Kay, Jeremy (20 September 2024). "'All We Imagine As Light', 'The End', 'Harvest' among Chicago International Film Festival line-up (exclusive)". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
"17th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
External links
All We Imagine as Light at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
All We Imagine as Light at Rotten Tomatoes Edit this at Wikidata
All We Imagine as Light at Letterboxd Edit this at Wikidata
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Categories: 2024 films2020s Indian filmsFilms set in MumbaiIndian drama films2020s Malayalam-language films2020s Marathi-language filmsFilms shot in MumbaiFilms shot in RatnagiriFilms shot in MaharashtraArte France Cinéma films2020s French films2020s Italian filmsDutch drama filmsLuxembourgian drama filmsItalian drama filmsFrench drama filmsCannes Grand Prix winnersFilms about nurses

Payal Kapadia‘s critically acclaimed narrative debut, “All We Imagine as Light,” spotlights the close community of women within the intergenerational nursing realm.

Kapadia, who previously directed Cannes’ Golden Eye award-winning documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” in 2021, has been working on “All We Imagine as Light” since film school. The feature was the first Indian film to premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years, and later won the Grand Prize at the festival.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Centering on two roommates who also work together in a city hospital —head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha), plus their coworker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam) — Kapadia’s film alights on moments of connection and heartache, hope and disappointment. Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family; Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment. Kapadia captures the bustle of the metropolis and the open-air tranquility of a seaside village with equal radiance, articulated by her superb actresses and by the camera with a lyrical naturalism that occasionally drifts into dreamlike incandescence.”

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“For me, it was normal to have a film where there were so many female characters,” Kapadia recently told IndieWire. “I feel something strongly towards the female friendship and the sort of companionship that has helped me a lot in my life. So it was something that I felt affectionate towards, but it’s also complicated and never easy. I was interested in these different layers of femininity in the country. The film starts with a very old woman and ends with a very young girl who has short hair and could be confused to be a boy. And all these women could be at different times the same person.”

The film had its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival. “All We Imagine as Light” was snubbed by India for its Oscar submission; despite being on the shortlist for France, the country submitted “Emilia Pérez” instead.

“All We Imagine as Light” premieres November 15 in theaters from Sideshow/Janus Films. Check out the trailer below.

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All We Imagine As Light
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When the “spirit of Mumbai” is spoken about, to signify the city’s imagined resilience especially after some major calamity, it is always about the multitude. It is assumed that the faceless common citizens, who do not have the luxury to stay inside safely, venture out due to this spirit. Payal Kapadia’s debut feature All We Imagine as Light doesn’t make such assumptions about the less privileged, rather it brings them to the centre and gives them a voice.

Why the ‘bad guy from Baahubali’ is distributing Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’

In fact, the film begins by giving voices to these multitudes, before it settles on the three protagonists. In a sequence which reminds one of Kapadia’s documentary roots, we hear from these voices what the city means to the thousands who migrate to it from all over the country to make a living. Malayali nurses Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha), and Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), an employee at the hospital they are working in, belong to that tribe.

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But the film is really not about the work that they do or their daily struggles; what shines bright instead is their interior lives, their desires, disappointments, confusions and even biases. Prabha has a weary air about her, as someone who has been in the city for quite some time, with the recurring worry about a husband who has literally forgotten about her after the first few days of marriage. The last time they spoke was a year ago, after he went for a job in Germany. Maybe he has nothing more to say, she tells her friend.

All We Imagine as Light (Malayalam, Hindi)
Director: Payal Kapadia
Cast: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, Azeez Nedumangad
Run-time: 118 minutes
Storyline: Three women who are outsiders to a city attempt to cope with life, holding on to each other
Anu, in contrast, is bursting with the energy of the newfound freedom in the city and the high of her secret love with Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon). With the patriarchal mores ingrained in Prabha, she finds Anu’s ways a little too troubling, and words escape out of her. The younger one has a mind of her own and only gets more daring in her escapades, but she has her own set of confusions about her future. Parvaty, meanwhile, is facing eviction from her dwelling space of over two decades. With no papers to prove her ownership, it is easy for the builders of skyscrapers to evict her. In these varying shades and scales of adversity, the three women find things that bind them together.

Also Read | ‘I get overwhelmed in crowds’: Kani Kusruti on Cannes selection for ‘All We Imagine as Light’

A still from ‘All We Imagine as Light’
A still from ‘All We Imagine as Light’

Cannes 2024: Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ scripts history for India, wins Grand Prix

The coming together is for no act of revolt (unless the delightful scene of throwing stones at the builder’s advertisement hoarding can be called that), but just for being there for each other. From the Mumbai nights of ceaseless activity and quiet contemplation of the protagonists in their private spaces, the film in the later half takes us to a seaside Maharashtrian village of blinding sunlight and a tender calmness. In a passage of inspired writing, Prabha gets a sense of closure through a scene that exists somewhere in the comfortable space between the real and the imaginary. Yet, one is left with a feeling of the filmmaker holding something back in the final moments, choosing to let it float away gently like a kite in the breeze, rather than let it be a soaring bird. It leaves one with a mild sense of being unsatiated.

‘All We Imagine As Light’ win for all women in India who weren’t on Cannes stage, says Kani Kusruti

At times, the film exudes the feel of a Mumbai mood piece, with some gentle jazz to go along with it. Once in a while, the expanse of the lens widens, capturing the endless row of flats with dimly or brightly lit windows; the ever-moving suburban trains and the populace reminds us that these are not just the stories of the three, but representative of the many outsiders here. Kapadia infuses a lyrical quality to even the mundane moments, although the endlessly romanticised Mumbai rains is thoughtfully turned into a frustrating hindrance to a romantic encounter.

All We Imagine as Light is as much an ode to the city as it is to its outsiders, who just can’t call it home but can’t leave it too.

All We Imagine as Light is currently running in select theatres in Kerala
The two nurses from Kerala, southern India, who are the protagonists of Payal Kapadia‘s Cannes prizewinner “All We Imagine as Light,” will begin their theatrical journey from home.

Written and directed by Kapadia in her narrative directorial debut, the film tells the story of two Kerala women in Mumbai — Prabha, a troubled nurse who receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, and Anu, her young roommate who is seeking a place to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest. The film, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes earlier this year, stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Hridhu Haroon, all of whom hail from Kerala.

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Spirit Media, founded by “Baahubali” star Rana Daggubati, which acquired India distribution rights for the film, will release the Malayalam and Hindi-language film in limited cinemas in Kerala from Sept. 21, marking its qualifying release for consideration as India’s candidate in the Oscars‘ international feature category.

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The film was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julian Graff through their France-based company Petit Chaos, in co-production with the Indian companies, Zico Maitra’s Chalk & Cheese Films and Ranabir Das’ Another Birth, as well as by the Netherlands’s BALDR Film, Luxembourg’s Les Films Fauves, Italy’s Pulpa Films and France’s Arte France Cinéma. It made the French Oscar shortlist but the country eventually chose auteur Jacques Audiard’s redemption thriller “Emilia Perez,” which won two major awards at Cannes, for the international feature film race.

Malayalam is the dominant language in Kerala. “All We Imagine as Light” will release in Kerala under the Malayalam title “Prabhayay Ninachathellam.” Post the Kerala release, the film will be released across all major cities in India.

“We are proud to be able to bring this incredible film to audiences in India, starting with Kerala where the two leading characters of the story are from. Indian cinema has a rich legacy of storytelling, and this film captures the Indian experience through characters speaking multiple languages coming from different parts of the country with similar shared dreams to a metropolis like Mumbai,” Daggubati told Variety.

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All We Imagine as Light, India, Oscars, Payal Kapadia
In certain movies, the setting is just as critical to the overall experience as the performances, script, or direction. I don’t think Call Me By Your Name would’ve enamored audiences so deeply if it weren’t set in the hazy hum and lush greenery of Crema, Italy. We’ve seen many movies and shows in recent years described as “love letters” to certain cities: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Chunking Express, Midnight in Paris, and Steve McQueen’s Blitz. But it’s rare for us to see a specific place used as the antagonist of the story.

Payal Kapadia’ All We Imagine as Light opens with a montage of the people of Mumbai, constantly in transit, making their way through the city all with tired, sullen expressions across their faces. Voiceovers from different people let us hear their opinions on their home city, with one man saying “I’m afraid to call it my home.” Kapadia’s vision of Mumbai is a hope vacuum, where people are overworked, the poor are kept separate from the rich, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The film, while it does end on a hopeful note, is quite pessimistic in its views of Mumbai, as if the only chance at happiness depends on your means to escape from the city. It’s a story of disconnection, and how, despite how impervious we try to make ourselves, we all share the very basic human need of interpersonal relationships, whatever form they come in.

'All We Imagine as Light' Is a Story of Human Connection

Following its win at Cannes for the Gran Prix award, All We Imagine as Light is a somber, slow drama that follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a serious and reserved nurse living and working in Mumbai, as her husband (who she met in an arranged marriage) lives in Germany, avoiding her calls and making up for it by sending a rice cooker with no note. Prabha lives with Anu (Divya Prabha), a younger and livelier nurse who is hiding her relationship with a young Muslim man, Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon) as her parents want to arrange for her to wed a fellow Hindu. It’s a bleak existence for both of them, and this has formed a hard outer layer in Prabha, who lashes out at Abu when she’s overly friendly with a doctor who clearly likes Prabha. Their colleague, Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), is being pushed out by gangsters so they can turn her home into apartments for the wealthy.

Every facet of the city brings nothing but disappointment to these characters. For most of the film, Kapadia will follow the cast as they make their way through the city, with the background almost always unfocused. A voiceover refers to a constant feeling of impermanence and the themes of displacement and transience bleed into every frame. Anu’s only solace is her clandestine meetings with Shiaz, while Prabha rejects the doctor’s advances despite feeling utterly alone. He tells her he’s leaving the city, as he still can’t remember his way home even though he’s lived there for six months. He blames the language barrier, but this perpetuates Kapadia's framing of Mumbai as an overpopulated but deeply lonely place that no one should call home. “It’s a city of illusions,” he says to her, as if any semblance of happiness in the city isn’t genuine; it also hints at the movie’s title and grand thesis of the ways humans will distort their reality to find something to fight for.

'All We Imagine Is Light' May Be Too Slow For Some Audiences
Kani Kusruti as Prabha in All We Imagine as Light - movie theater sceneImage Via Janus Films
The movie takes its time to get some steam, and it will certainly be too slow for a lot of audiences. The first half is especially dour, and the loose plot makes the structure even more lacking. Still, it’s worth seeing through to the movie’s last act, when the change of scenery feels like a shot of espresso. Abu and Prabha help Parvaty move out to a seaside village, and this is our first glimpse at genuine hope in the story. Prabha’s world opens up figuratively and literally, and she allows her walls to come down. This passes over into her relationship with Anu, and the two women recognize just how much they need each other despite their many differences. The movie’s tone starts to transition from defeatism to optimism. When a man washes up on the beach, the locals are quick to crowd around him and accept that there’s nothing they can do to help him. “He’s a goner,” and “He’s already dead, no?” are whispered within the nosey onlookers, and Prabha is the only one who knows CPR. She saves the man, and they end up forming a deep connection that Prabha didn’t realize (or didn't want to admit) she needed so intensely.

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All We Imagine as Light is a film about disconnection, and how we need people, a sense of place, and a feeling of belonging to survive. Director and writer Payal Kapadia set up many challenges for herself, some she overcomes, and some make their way into the final cut. Despite earning nothing but rave reviews since its premiere at Cannes, All We Imagine as Light feels like a movie you appreciate rather than enjoy. Kapadia’s camera work is exceptional, aptly turning a city with a population of over 20 million people to feel like the loneliest place on Earth. It’s a poetic, sobering experience, and while a lot of audiences may not find the patience to make it past the first half an hour, there is certainly an award for those who watch until the end. Still, don’t expect this to be a film where you’re in awe of every single frame and engaged from beginning to end. There are bumps along the way that may lose your investment, but its final act is a smooth road to a great view.

Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha Give Impactful Performances
Kani Kusruti as Prabha and Divya Prabha as Anu in All We Imagine as Light Image Via Janus Films
Kani Kusruti as the protagonist Prabha fills the role of a woman who’s taught herself to repress her most basic feelings well. She’s cold but not by choice, and behind every one-word answer is a world of complex feelings and emotions, beaten down by the idea that the key to an easy life is to just get on with things. Her performance on its own may not feel vivid enough to lead the film, and that’s where the importance of the work of the supporting cast comes in. Divya Prabha’s doe-eyed gaze trying to find the beauty and hope in everything is the much-needed antidote to Kusruti’s dejection. When things feel overly serious and dour in this world, it takes one flash of Kusruti’s face to bring the film to jolt a sense of recognition in the audience, and it’s her love story and fight for a better life that forges the strongest connection between the audience and the story.

It’s heartening to see a female-directed and starring Indian film that deals with abstract feelings garner so much attention from critics. It’s a deeply soulful movie that might seem cold at first, but eventually reveals itself to be a poetically touching movie about some of the most primal feelings humans experience. It just requires a good amount of patience. That said, there are sequences when it feels Kapadia is indulging too much in her visual language, and there are scenes that feel overly long without anything happening plot-wise. At just under two hours, the movie certainly could’ve shaved off 20 minutes and still landed its lyrical punch. But again, the destination is worth the journey, and it offers a viewing experience that feels earned in the end

all-we-imagine-as-light-2024-poster.jpg
7
10
All We Imagine as Light
All We Imagine as Light is slow, somber, but deeply human story of our search for belonging and connection.

Pros
Divya Prabha as Anu gives an exceptional performance, forming an emotional crux for the audience.
Payal Kapadia's camerawork effectively makes a large-city setting into a desolate, lonely background.
The movie ends on a sweet and hopeful note.
Cons
The movie can feel very slow at times, and requires a good amount of patience to invest in the story.
The movie's protagonist can be hard to identify with at times.
The film did not need to be two hours long, and would have benefited from a tighter runtime.
Drama
Release Date
November 15, 2024
Director
Payal Kapadia
Cast
Kani Kusruti , Divya Prabha , Chhaya Kadam , Hridhu Haroon , Azees Nedumangad , Anand Sami , Lovleen Mishra , Madhu Raja
Runtime
118 Minutes
Writers
Payal Kapadia
Character(s)
Prabha , Anu , Parvaty , Shiaz , Dr. Manoj , Drowned Man , Dr. Supriya , Kaki
In certain movies, the setting is just as critical to the overall experience as the performances, script, or direction. I don’t think Call Me By Your Name would’ve enamored audiences so deeply if it weren’t set in the hazy hum and lush greenery of Crema, Italy. We’ve seen many movies and shows in recent years described as “love letters” to certain cities: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Chunking Express, Midnight in Paris, and Steve McQueen’s Blitz. But it’s rare for us to see a specific place used as the antagonist of the story.

Payal Kapadia’ All We Imagine as Light opens with a montage of the people of Mumbai, constantly in transit, making their way through the city all with tired, sullen expressions across their faces. Voiceovers from different people let us hear their opinions on their home city, with one man saying “I’m afraid to call it my home.” Kapadia’s vision of Mumbai is a hope vacuum, where people are overworked, the poor are kept separate from the rich, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The film, while it does end on a hopeful note, is quite pessimistic in its views of Mumbai, as if the only chance at happiness depends on your means to escape from the city. It’s a story of disconnection, and how, despite how impervious we try to make ourselves, we all share the very basic human need of interpersonal relationships, whatever form they come in.

'All We Imagine as Light' Is a Story of Human Connection

Following its win at Cannes for the Gran Prix award, All We Imagine as Light is a somber, slow drama that follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a serious and reserved nurse living and working in Mumbai, as her husband (who she met in an arranged marriage) lives in Germany, avoiding her calls and making up for it by sending a rice cooker with no note. Prabha lives with Anu (Divya Prabha), a younger and livelier nurse who is hiding her relationship with a young Muslim man, Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon) as her parents want to arrange for her to wed a fellow Hindu. It’s a bleak existence for both of them, and this has formed a hard outer layer in Prabha, who lashes out at Abu when she’s overly friendly with a doctor who clearly likes Prabha. Their colleague, Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), is being pushed out by gangsters so they can turn her home into apartments for the wealthy.

Every facet of the city brings nothing but disappointment to these characters. For most of the film, Kapadia will follow the cast as they make their way through the city, with the background almost always unfocused. A voiceover refers to a constant feeling of impermanence and the themes of displacement and transience bleed into every frame. Anu’s only solace is her clandestine meetings with Shiaz, while Prabha rejects the doctor’s advances despite feeling utterly alone. He tells her he’s leaving the city, as he still can’t remember his way home even though he’s lived there for six months. He blames the language barrier, but this perpetuates Kapadia's framing of Mumbai as an overpopulated but deeply lonely place that no one should call home. “It’s a city of illusions,” he says to her, as if any semblance of happiness in the city isn’t genuine; it also hints at the movie’s title and grand thesis of the ways humans will distort their reality to find something to fight for.

'All We Imagine Is Light' May Be Too Slow For Some Audiences
Kani Kusruti as Prabha in All We Imagine as Light - movie theater sceneImage Via Janus Films
The movie takes its time to get some steam, and it will certainly be too slow for a lot of audiences. The first half is especially dour, and the loose plot makes the structure even more lacking. Still, it’s worth seeing through to the movie’s last act, when the change of scenery feels like a shot of espresso. Abu and Prabha help Parvaty move out to a seaside village, and this is our first glimpse at genuine hope in the story. Prabha’s world opens up figuratively and literally, and she allows her walls to come down. This passes over into her relationship with Anu, and the two women recognize just how much they need each other despite their many differences. The movie’s tone starts to transition from defeatism to optimism. When a man washes up on the beach, the locals are quick to crowd around him and accept that there’s nothing they can do to help him. “He’s a goner,” and “He’s already dead, no?” are whispered within the nosey onlookers, and Prabha is the only one who knows CPR. She saves the man, and they end up forming a deep connection that Prabha didn’t realize (or didn't want to admit) she needed so intensely.

I'm Still Here
Related
'I'm Still Here' Review: Family Political Drama Is One of the Year's Best | LFF 2024
The movie tells the real-life story of the Paira family.

All We Imagine as Light is a film about disconnection, and how we need people, a sense of place, and a feeling of belonging to survive. Director and writer Payal Kapadia set up many challenges for herself, some she overcomes, and some make their way into the final cut. Despite earning nothing but rave reviews since its premiere at Cannes, All We Imagine as Light feels like a movie you appreciate rather than enjoy. Kapadia’s camera work is exceptional, aptly turning a city with a population of over 20 million people to feel like the loneliest place on Earth. It’s a poetic, sobering experience, and while a lot of audiences may not find the patience to make it past the first half an hour, there is certainly an award for those who watch until the end. Still, don’t expect this to be a film where you’re in awe of every single frame and engaged from beginning to end. There are bumps along the way that may lose your investment, but its final act is a smooth road to a great view.

Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha Give Impactful Performances
Kani Kusruti as Prabha and Divya Prabha as Anu in All We Imagine as Light Image Via Janus Films
Kani Kusruti as the protagonist Prabha fills the role of a woman who’s taught herself to repress her most basic feelings well. She’s cold but not by choice, and behind every one-word answer is a world of complex feelings and emotions, beaten down by the idea that the key to an easy life is to just get on with things. Her performance on its own may not feel vivid enough to lead the film, and that’s where the importance of the work of the supporting cast comes in. Divya Prabha’s doe-eyed gaze trying to find the beauty and hope in everything is the much-needed antidote to Kusruti’s dejection. When things feel overly serious and dour in this world, it takes one flash of Kusruti’s face to bring the film to jolt a sense of recognition in the audience, and it’s her love story and fight for a better life that forges the strongest connection between the audience and the story.

It’s heartening to see a female-directed and starring Indian film that deals with abstract feelings garner so much attention from critics. It’s a deeply soulful movie that might seem cold at first, but eventually reveals itself to be a poetically touching movie about some of the most primal feelings humans experience. It just requires a good amount of patience. That said, there are sequences when it feels Kapadia is indulging too much in her visual language, and there are scenes that feel overly long without anything happening plot-wise. At just under two hours, the movie certainly could’ve shaved off 20 minutes and still landed its lyrical punch. But again, the destination is worth the journey, and it offers a viewing experience that feels earned in the end

all-we-imagine-as-light-2024-poster.jpg
7
10
All We Imagine as Light
All We Imagine as Light is slow, somber, but deeply human story of our search for belonging and connection.

Pros
Divya Prabha as Anu gives an exceptional performance, forming an emotional crux for the audience.
Payal Kapadia's camerawork effectively makes a large-city setting into a desolate, lonely background.
The movie ends on a sweet and hopeful note.
Cons
The movie can feel very slow at times, and requires a good amount of patience to invest in the story.
The movie's protagonist can be hard to identify with at times.
The film did not need to be two hours long, and would have benefited from a tighter runtime.
Drama
Release Date
November 15, 2024
Director
Payal Kapadia
Cast
Kani Kusruti , Divya Prabha , Chhaya Kadam , Hridhu Haroon , Azees Nedumangad , Anand Sami , Lovleen Mishra , Madhu Raja
Runtime
118 Minutes
Writers
Payal Kapadia
Character(s)
Prabha , Anu , Parvaty , Shiaz , Dr. Manoj , Drowned Man , Dr. Supriya , Kaki
In certain movies, the setting is just as critical to the overall experience as the performances, script, or direction. I don’t think Call Me By Your Name would’ve enamored audiences so deeply if it weren’t set in the hazy hum and lush greenery of Crema, Italy. We’ve seen many movies and shows in recent years described as “love letters” to certain cities: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Chunking Express, Midnight in Paris, and Steve McQueen’s Blitz. But it’s rare for us to see a specific place used as the antagonist of the story.

Payal Kapadia’ All We Imagine as Light opens with a montage of the people of Mumbai, constantly in transit, making their way through the city all with tired, sullen expressions across their faces. Voiceovers from different people let us hear their opinions on their home city, with one man saying “I’m afraid to call it my home.” Kapadia’s vision of Mumbai is a hope vacuum, where people are overworked, the poor are kept separate from the rich, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The film, while it does end on a hopeful note, is quite pessimistic in its views of Mumbai, as if the only chance at happiness depends on your means to escape from the city. It’s a story of disconnection, and how, despite how impervious we try to make ourselves, we all share the very basic human need of interpersonal relationships, whatever form they come in.

'All We Imagine as Light' Is a Story of Human Connection

Following its win at Cannes for the Gran Prix award, All We Imagine as Light is a somber, slow drama that follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a serious and reserved nurse living and working in Mumbai, as her husband (who she met in an arranged marriage) lives in Germany, avoiding her calls and making up for it by sending a rice cooker with no note. Prabha lives with Anu (Divya Prabha), a younger and livelier nurse who is hiding her relationship with a young Muslim man, Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon) as her parents want to arrange for her to wed a fellow Hindu. It’s a bleak existence for both of them, and this has formed a hard outer layer in Prabha, who lashes out at Abu when she’s overly friendly with a doctor who clearly likes Prabha. Their colleague, Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), is being pushed out by gangsters so they can turn her home into apartments for the wealthy.

Every facet of the city brings nothing but disappointment to these characters. For most of the film, Kapadia will follow the cast as they make their way through the city, with the background almost always unfocused. A voiceover refers to a constant feeling of impermanence and the themes of displacement and transience bleed into every frame. Anu’s only solace is her clandestine meetings with Shiaz, while Prabha rejects the doctor’s advances despite feeling utterly alone. He tells her he’s leaving the city, as he still can’t remember his way home even though he’s lived there for six months. He blames the language barrier, but this perpetuates Kapadia's framing of Mumbai as an overpopulated but deeply lonely place that no one should call home. “It’s a city of illusions,” he says to her, as if any semblance of happiness in the city isn’t genuine; it also hints at the movie’s title and grand thesis of the ways humans will distort their reality to find something to fight for.

'All We Imagine Is Light' May Be Too Slow For Some Audiences
Kani Kusruti as Prabha in All We Imagine as Light - movie theater sceneImage Via Janus Films
The movie takes its time to get some steam, and it will certainly be too slow for a lot of audiences. The first half is especially dour, and the loose plot makes the structure even more lacking. Still, it’s worth seeing through to the movie’s last act, when the change of scenery feels like a shot of espresso. Abu and Prabha help Parvaty move out to a seaside village, and this is our first glimpse at genuine hope in the story. Prabha’s world opens up figuratively and literally, and she allows her walls to come down. This passes over into her relationship with Anu, and the two women recognize just how much they need each other despite their many differences. The movie’s tone starts to transition from defeatism to optimism. When a man washes up on the beach, the locals are quick to crowd around him and accept that there’s nothing they can do to help him. “He’s a goner,” and “He’s already dead, no?” are whispered within the nosey onlookers, and Prabha is the only one who knows CPR. She saves the man, and they end up forming a deep connection that Prabha didn’t realize (or didn't want to admit) she needed so intensely.

I'm Still Here
Related
'I'm Still Here' Review: Family Political Drama Is One of the Year's Best | LFF 2024
The movie tells the real-life story of the Paira family.

All We Imagine as Light is a film about disconnection, and how we need people, a sense of place, and a feeling of belonging to survive. Director and writer Payal Kapadia set up many challenges for herself, some she overcomes, and some make their way into the final cut. Despite earning nothing but rave reviews since its premiere at Cannes, All We Imagine as Light feels like a movie you appreciate rather than enjoy. Kapadia’s camera work is exceptional, aptly turning a city with a population of over 20 million people to feel like the loneliest place on Earth. It’s a poetic, sobering experience, and while a lot of audiences may not find the patience to make it past the first half an hour, there is certainly an award for those who watch until the end. Still, don’t expect this to be a film where you’re in awe of every single frame and engaged from beginning to end. There are bumps along the way that may lose your investment, but its final act is a smooth road to a great view.

Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha Give Impactful Performances
Kani Kusruti as Prabha and Divya Prabha as Anu in All We Imagine as Light Image Via Janus Films
Kani Kusruti as the protagonist Prabha fills the role of a woman who’s taught herself to repress her most basic feelings well. She’s cold but not by choice, and behind every one-word answer is a world of complex feelings and emotions, beaten down by the idea that the key to an easy life is to just get on with things. Her performance on its own may not feel vivid enough to lead the film, and that’s where the importance of the work of the supporting cast comes in. Divya Prabha’s doe-eyed gaze trying to find the beauty and hope in everything is the much-needed antidote to Kusruti’s dejection. When things feel overly serious and dour in this world, it takes one flash of Kusruti’s face to bring the film to jolt a sense of recognition in the audience, and it’s her love story and fight for a better life that forges the strongest connection between the audience and the story.

It’s heartening to see a female-directed and starring Indian film that deals with abstract feelings garner so much attention from critics. It’s a deeply soulful movie that might seem cold at first, but eventually reveals itself to be a poetically touching movie about some of the most primal feelings humans experience. It just requires a good amount of patience. That said, there are sequences when it feels Kapadia is indulging too much in her visual language, and there are scenes that feel overly long without anything happening plot-wise. At just under two hours, the movie certainly could’ve shaved off 20 minutes and still landed its lyrical punch. But again, the destination is worth the journey, and it offers a viewing experience that feels earned in the end

all-we-imagine-as-light-2024-poster.jpg
7
10
All We Imagine as Light
All We Imagine as Light is slow, somber, but deeply human story of our search for belonging and connection.

Pros
Divya Prabha as Anu gives an exceptional performance, forming an emotional crux for the audience.
Payal Kapadia's camerawork effectively makes a large-city setting into a desolate, lonely background.
The movie ends on a sweet and hopeful note.
Cons
The movie can feel very slow at times, and requires a good amount of patience to invest in the story.
The movie's protagonist can be hard to identify with at times.
The film did not need to be two hours long, and would have benefited from a tighter runtime.
Drama
Release Date
November 15, 2024
Director
Payal Kapadia
Cast
Kani Kusruti , Divya Prabha , Chhaya Kadam , Hridhu Haroon , Azees Nedumangad , Anand Sami , Lovleen Mishra , Madhu Raja
Runtime
118 Minutes
Writers
Payal Kapadia
Character(s)
Prabha , Anu , Parvaty , Shiaz , Dr. Manoj , Drowned Man , Dr. Supriya , Kaki
In certain movies, the setting is just as critical to the overall experience as the performances, script, or direction. I don’t think Call Me By Your Name would’ve enamored audiences so deeply if it weren’t set in the hazy hum and lush greenery of Crema, Italy. We’ve seen many movies and shows in recent years described as “love letters” to certain cities: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Chunking Express, Midnight in Paris, and Steve McQueen’s Blitz. But it’s rare for us to see a specific place used as the antagonist of the story.

Payal Kapadia’ All We Imagine as Light opens with a montage of the people of Mumbai, constantly in transit, making their way through the city all with tired, sullen expressions across their faces. Voiceovers from different people let us hear their opinions on their home city, with one man saying “I’m afraid to call it my home.” Kapadia’s vision of Mumbai is a hope vacuum, where people are overworked, the poor are kept separate from the rich, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The film, while it does end on a hopeful note, is quite pessimistic in its views of Mumbai, as if the only chance at happiness depends on your means to escape from the city. It’s a story of disconnection, and how, despite how impervious we try to make ourselves, we all share the very basic human need of interpersonal relationships, whatever form they come in.

'All We Imagine as Light' Is a Story of Human Connection

Following its win at Cannes for the Gran Prix award, All We Imagine as Light is a somber, slow drama that follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a serious and reserved nurse living and working in Mumbai, as her husband (who she met in an arranged marriage) lives in Germany, avoiding her calls and making up for it by sending a rice cooker with no note. Prabha lives with Anu (Divya Prabha), a younger and livelier nurse who is hiding her relationship with a young Muslim man, Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon) as her parents want to arrange for her to wed a fellow Hindu. It’s a bleak existence for both of them, and this has formed a hard outer layer in Prabha, who lashes out at Abu when she’s overly friendly with a doctor who clearly likes Prabha. Their colleague, Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), is being pushed out by gangsters so they can turn her home into apartments for the wealthy.

Every facet of the city brings nothing but disappointment to these characters. For most of the film, Kapadia will follow the cast as they make their way through the city, with the background almost always unfocused. A voiceover refers to a constant feeling of impermanence and the themes of displacement and transience bleed into every frame. Anu’s only solace is her clandestine meetings with Shiaz, while Prabha rejects the doctor’s advances despite feeling utterly alone. He tells her he’s leaving the city, as he still can’t remember his way home even though he’s lived there for six months. He blames the language barrier, but this perpetuates Kapadia's framing of Mumbai as an overpopulated but deeply lonely place that no one should call home. “It’s a city of illusions,” he says to her, as if any semblance of happiness in the city isn’t genuine; it also hints at the movie’s title and grand thesis of the ways humans will distort their reality to find something to fight for.

'All We Imagine Is Light' May Be Too Slow For Some Audiences
Kani Kusruti as Prabha in All We Imagine as Light - movie theater sceneImage Via Janus Films
The movie takes its time to get some steam, and it will certainly be too slow for a lot of audiences. The first half is especially dour, and the loose plot makes the structure even more lacking. Still, it’s worth seeing through to the movie’s last act, when the change of scenery feels like a shot of espresso. Abu and Prabha help Parvaty move out to a seaside village, and this is our first glimpse at genuine hope in the story. Prabha’s world opens up figuratively and literally, and she allows her walls to come down. This passes over into her relationship with Anu, and the two women recognize just how much they need each other despite their many differences. The movie’s tone starts to transition from defeatism to optimism. When a man washes up on the beach, the locals are quick to crowd around him and accept that there’s nothing they can do to help him. “He’s a goner,” and “He’s already dead, no?” are whispered within the nosey onlookers, and Prabha is the only one who knows CPR. She saves the man, and they end up forming a deep connection that Prabha didn’t realize (or didn't want to admit) she needed so intensely.

I'm Still Here
Related
'I'm Still Here' Review: Family Political Drama Is One of the Year's Best | LFF 2024
The movie tells the real-life story of the Paira family.

All We Imagine as Light is a film about disconnection, and how we need people, a sense of place, and a feeling of belonging to survive. Director and writer Payal Kapadia set up many challenges for herself, some she overcomes, and some make their way into the final cut. Despite earning nothing but rave reviews since its premiere at Cannes, All We Imagine as Light feels like a movie you appreciate rather than enjoy. Kapadia’s camera work is exceptional, aptly turning a city with a population of over 20 million people to feel like the loneliest place on Earth. It’s a poetic, sobering experience, and while a lot of audiences may not find the patience to make it past the first half an hour, there is certainly an award for those who watch until the end. Still, don’t expect this to be a film where you’re in awe of every single frame and engaged from beginning to end. There are bumps along the way that may lose your investment, but its final act is a smooth road to a great view.

Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha Give Impactful Performances
Kani Kusruti as Prabha and Divya Prabha as Anu in All We Imagine as Light Image Via Janus Films
Kani Kusruti as the protagonist Prabha fills the role of a woman who’s taught herself to repress her most basic feelings well. She’s cold but not by choice, and behind every one-word answer is a world of complex feelings and emotions, beaten down by the idea that the key to an easy life is to just get on with things. Her performance on its own may not feel vivid enough to lead the film, and that’s where the importance of the work of the supporting cast comes in. Divya Prabha’s doe-eyed gaze trying to find the beauty and hope in everything is the much-needed antidote to Kusruti’s dejection. When things feel overly serious and dour in this world, it takes one flash of Kusruti’s face to bring the film to jolt a sense of recognition in the audience, and it’s her love story and fight for a better life that forges the strongest connection between the audience and the story.

It’s heartening to see a female-directed and starring Indian film that deals with abstract feelings garner so much attention from critics. It’s a deeply soulful movie that might seem cold at first, but eventually reveals itself to be a poetically touching movie about some of the most primal feelings humans experience. It just requires a good amount of patience. That said, there are sequences when it feels Kapadia is indulging too much in her visual language, and there are scenes that feel overly long without anything happening plot-wise. At just under two hours, the movie certainly could’ve shaved off 20 minutes and still landed its lyrical punch. But again, the destination is worth the journey, and it offers a viewing experience that feels earned in the end

all-we-imagine-as-light-2024-poster.jpg
7
10
All We Imagine as Light
All We Imagine as Light is slow, somber, but deeply human story of our search for belonging and connection.

Pros
Divya Prabha as Anu gives an exceptional performance, forming an emotional crux for the audience.
Payal Kapadia's camerawork effectively makes a large-city setting into a desolate, lonely background.
The movie ends on a sweet and hopeful note.
Cons
The movie can feel very slow at times, and requires a good amount of patience to invest in the story.
The movie's protagonist can be hard to identify with at times.
The film did not need to be two hours long, and would have benefited from a tighter runtime.
Drama
Release Date
November 15, 2024
Director
Payal Kapadia
Cast
Kani Kusruti , Divya Prabha , Chhaya Kadam , Hridhu Haroon , Azees Nedumangad , Anand Sami , Lovleen Mishra , Madhu Raja
Runtime
118 Minutes
Writers
Payal Kapadia
Character(s)
Prabha , Anu , Parvaty , Shiaz , Dr. Manoj , Drowned Man , Dr. Supriya , Kaki
In certain movies, the setting is just as critical to the overall experience as the performances, script, or direction. I don’t think Call Me By Your Name would’ve enamored audiences so deeply if it weren’t set in the hazy hum and lush greenery of Crema, Italy. We’ve seen many movies and shows in recent years described as “love letters” to certain cities: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Chunking Express, Midnight in Paris, and Steve McQueen’s Blitz. But it’s rare for us to see a specific place used as the antagonist of the story.

Payal Kapadia’ All We Imagine as Light opens with a montage of the people of Mumbai, constantly in transit, making their way through the city all with tired, sullen expressions across their faces. Voiceovers from different people let us hear their opinions on their home city, with one man saying “I’m afraid to call it my home.” Kapadia’s vision of Mumbai is a hope vacuum, where people are overworked, the poor are kept separate from the rich, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The film, while it does end on a hopeful note, is quite pessimistic in its views of Mumbai, as if the only chance at happiness depends on your means to escape from the city. It’s a story of disconnection, and how, despite how impervious we try to make ourselves, we all share the very basic human need of interpersonal relationships, whatever form they come in.

'All We Imagine as Light' Is a Story of Human Connection

Following its win at Cannes for the Gran Prix award, All We Imagine as Light is a somber, slow drama that follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a serious and reserved nurse living and working in Mumbai, as her husband (who she met in an arranged marriage) lives in Germany, avoiding her calls and making up for it by sending a rice cooker with no note. Prabha lives with Anu (Divya Prabha), a younger and livelier nurse who is hiding her relationship with a young Muslim man, Shiaz (Hridhu Haroon) as her parents want to arrange for her to wed a fellow Hindu. It’s a bleak existence for both of them, and this has formed a hard outer layer in Prabha, who lashes out at Abu when she’s overly friendly with a doctor who clearly likes Prabha. Their colleague, Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), is being pushed out by gangsters so they can turn her home into apartments for the wealthy.

Every facet of the city brings nothing but disappointment to these characters. For most of the film, Kapadia will follow the cast as they make their way through the city, with the background almost always unfocused. A voiceover refers to a constant feeling of impermanence and the themes of displacement and transience bleed into every frame. Anu’s only solace is her clandestine meetings with Shiaz, while Prabha rejects the doctor’s advances despite feeling utterly alone. He tells her he’s leaving the city, as he still can’t remember his way home even though he’s lived there for six months. He blames the language barrier, but this perpetuates Kapadia's framing of Mumbai as an overpopulated but deeply lonely place that no one should call home. “It’s a city of illusions,” he says to her, as if any semblance of happiness in the city isn’t genuine; it also hints at the movie’s title and grand thesis of the ways humans will distort their reality to find something to fight for.

'All We Imagine Is Light' May Be Too Slow For Some Audiences
Kani Kusruti as Prabha in All We Imagine as Light - movie theater sceneImage Via Janus Films
The movie takes its time to get some steam, and it will certainly be too slow for a lot of audiences. The first half is especially dour, and the loose plot makes the structure even more lacking. Still, it’s worth seeing through to the movie’s last act, when the change of scenery feels like a shot of espresso. Abu and Prabha help Parvaty move out to a seaside village, and this is our first glimpse at genuine hope in the story. Prabha’s world opens up figuratively and literally, and she allows her walls to come down. This passes over into her relationship with Anu, and the two women recognize just how much they need each other despite their many differences. The movie’s tone starts to transition from defeatism to optimism. When a man washes up on the beach, the locals are quick to crowd around him and accept that there’s nothing they can do to help him. “He’s a goner,” and “He’s already dead, no?” are whispered within the nosey onlookers, and Prabha is the only one who knows CPR. She saves the man, and they end up forming a deep connection that Prabha didn’t realize (or didn't want to admit) she needed so intensely.

I'm