Payal Kapadia’s domestic drama ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT possesses a true sense of calm, even through the tumult of the characters’ lives. Within this serenity comes something uniquely meditative and deeply profound. And yet, this story of three nurses navigating life in Mumbai is not light on plot (you could even argue that it’s a five-act screenplay), and what’s special is how it allows the viewer to bathe in the vibrant locations and immaculate construction.
We follow Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and her roommate Anu (Divya Prabha). While Anu faces backlash from her peers regarding her hidden romantic relationship, Prabha is tormented by the absence of her husband and the arrival of an anonymous gift from someone in Germany. As Anu falls in love, Prabha attempts to come to terms with her loneliness – but both question what the future holds. Meanwhile, the character of Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam) provides the film’s political framing; her struggles with money and housing play a big role in the progression of the narrative.
Despite including some serious subjects, the film remains playful; not just through its characters, but through its form and tone. When the film opens, we get some shots of Mumbai – the lights, the people – from, it would seem, the perspective of a passenger on public transport. It immediately transports us into the point of view of someone living in the city and provides an authentic experience of what you might see on your journey home from work.
“Despite including some serious subjects, the film remains playful; not just through its characters, but through its form and tone.”
This also establishes the specific imagery the filmmakers wish to capture, finding the poetry in contrasting shapes and architecture, light and dark, constant motion. There’s something effortlessly beautiful about how the characters are placed within their environment. Whether they’re surrounded by people or sat alone in an empty room, we’re drawn to each element of the frame. The director demonstrates that no matter how small or personal a film’s scope, the widest range of ideas, techniques and textures can be contained within every shot.
An example of the film’s lax, improvisational sensibility comes when Anu – sitting bored behind a counter while working – begins to spin on her chair and affectionately imitates a figure in the office fish tank using her arms. These moments stick with you because it’s fun to watch people engaged in play, but also because of the artistic bravery of including it in your film for no narrative reason. It’s there because it’s pleasant, amusing, and genuine.
The film’s aesthetic is fantastic because it suits the content completely. Cinematographer Ranabir Das utilises medium lenses and soft focus to craft a gentle image. A frequently hand-held, pleasantly floaty approach to on-location movement additionally allows the viewer to really inhabit these spaces. One could identify the film’s appearance as being a common one, particularly when it comes to independent cinema. However, where this piece stands apart is in its consistently subtle mode of expression. With such an intimate story being told, the filmmakers could have easily made the mistake of having the craft overwhelm – or feel jarringly separate from – the small-scale worlds being presented.
“…where this piece stands apart is in its consistently subtle mode of expression. With such an intimate story being told, the filmmakers could have easily made the mistake of having the craft overwhelm…”
Rather sensibly, the film holds back, allowing the viewer to engage in the scenario and the characters until the scenario itself requires a more expressionistic quality. Namely, towards the end of the film, we get a subjective vision of a conversation which is, most likely, only taking place in the mind of the individual. This lovely deviation from the naturalistic form successfully disrupts the audience’s understanding of reality, but it simultaneously places us right inside the mind of the character we’ve come to care about. The movie implements narration in a similar way, for as the speaker changes from scene to scene, we comprehend something holistic and all-encompassing about the voice-over. It’s a sign of masterful storytelling when the structural methods at play can be remoulded before your eyes, yet you still give yourself over to the emotion of the thing.
Making for an incredibly rich viewing experience, ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT is a skilful fusion of organic social realism with a poetic, personal and often impressionistic approach. Perhaps most important is its presentation of Mumbai as a multifaceted city and its inhabitants. As the film proceeds to place India’s biggest city in contrast to the stunning rural locations which take priority towards the story’s end, we get the sense that the spirit of Mumbai lives within these people; that the fluidity of their being – such is the narrative structure – is symbolic of a most human resilience.