All We Imagine As Light (2024) :
Movie Review -
Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light has been receiving a lot of critical acclaim at film festivals but flopped terribly at the box office. Rightfully so, because I believe this film is a very personal affair rather than a social one. It's essentially a story about three women, but it lacks the broad appeal that anyone could relate to. The plot and screenplay, centered around the personal problems of these three women, are unlikely to strike an emotional chord or create a normal connection with the audience; hence, the film becomes soulless and empty.
All We Imagine As Light tells the story of two Malayalam nurses, Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha), living and working together in Mumbai. Prabha is married but single, as her husband abandoned her and left for Germany. A senior doctor at their workplace fancies her, but she denies his advances and even the discussion of topics like "love" and "togetherness." On the other hand, Anu is having an affair with a Muslim man and is regularly involved in intimate activities, including sex. Their mutual friend at work, Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), is a widow and has no legal place to stay, so she's struggling with her own issues. The rest of the narrative follows these three coming together to solve and discuss their problems without becoming overly dramatic.
As mentioned, the narrative doesn't become overly dramatic, which is one of the biggest issues with the script. I would prefer it to be dramatic rather than silent with dark-toned visuals and conversations, because after a while, you lose patience and feel bored. Anu's sexual hunger and satisfaction are presented visually and physically without any restraint, while Prabha is far from being physical with anyone. I don't really understand how Anu's personal love affair can become the center of the story when there is nothing substantial about it. The same goes for Prabha, who is choosing solitude and is slightly jealous or irritated by Anu's physical encounters for a while. Thankfully, it doesn't address the religious conflict of a Hindu-Muslim love story or use Love Jihad as part of the main plot; otherwise, it would have been a big disaster. Parvaty has a simple problem concerning housing; she does not have any legal documents regarding her home. Does that make for a compelling storyline? I don't think so. All three stories of these women lack substance, making All We Imagine As Light a lightless movie. Moreover, the Malayali elements do not fit well with the aamchi Mumbai backdrop, turning the entire film into a soulless affair.
Since it's an artistic film, the performances grab your attention despite its slow pacing and dull narrative. Kani Kusruti doesn't try to look beautiful because her life is as such, and that's one of the best features of her character. She performs naturally and is incredibly good. Divya Prabha has those sexually revealing scenes that go out of context and make the film vulgar, but she has acted brilliantly as a typical young girl with typical desires. Chhaya Kadam is superb, but sadly her character doesn't get enough screen time. Hridhu Haroon as Shiaz was fairly decent in the supporting role, and Azees Nedumangad as the doctor really did well within that small time.
All Be Imagine As Light is fairly okay in terms of technical aspects such as cinematography, sound design, production design, locations, and background score. There was no scope for music, and the poor editing made it a tedious movie. Payal Kapadia presents three ordinary stories of three ordinary women, but there is nothing extraordinary as suggested by some critics; at least that's my opinion as a movie buff, if not a critic. The film failed to hold my attention for 110 minutes, and the slow pauses capturing nature's beauty and showcasing Mumbai's scenery were far worse than any mediocre travel blogger's videos. The text messages and audio messages appearing right in the middle of the screen were annoying and useless. The idea of artistic cinema is changing, and this film doesn't try to be advanced. From what I have seen in the film, I can assure you that such storytelling, framework, and vision were called path-breaking in foreign cinema back in the 1960s. Why should I care about it in 2024? Overall, this film is too dark and hopeless, so you'd better skip it.
RATING - 4/10*
