48/41
In Mumbai, nurse Prabha’s routine becomes problematic when she receives an unexpected gift from her ex-husband. Her younger roommate Anu tries in vain to find a place in the city where she can be intimate with her boyfriend. Director Payal Kapadia and the cast of All We Imagine As Light come together to share the most emotional reactions from Cannes and much more! 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 Mumbai and highlights their resilience. All the women here are nurses in the same hospital, but that’s where the similarities end, as each has their own problems and, one might say, solutions. Desire, fear, regret and indifferent patience are the emotions that alternate constantly as the story quietly unfolds. Probably the biggest asset is the script, which offers exceptionally rich and thoughtful dialogue between the characters. The amount of plot action feels just enough to provide scaffolding for conversations where people have room to be unusually honest and unguarded with each other, even as they lie or take sides. The acting is consistently excellent and rises to the level of the writing — there are no false notes, although there are a few embarrassing loose ends. The photography and editing are also very good at creating a reflective and slightly distant atmosphere, complementing the quiet interactions of the characters. The distance is reinforced at several points where the film seems to have documentary elements or certainly creates such a feeling. I wasn’t always crazy about the music and the way it was pulled off, but this is a minor gripe that many may not share. I dispute another critic’s claim that this film was designed as « award bait. » I think there is too much heart and honesty in this film to be labeled cynical or manipulative – certainly no more than any other film that attempts to tell an important story in a compelling and beautiful way. And this film takes a lot of risks that I can’t imagine would be well received in an increasingly sectarian and puritanical India. I highly recommend “All We Imagine as Light.”