All We Imagine as Light ★★★

Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha) are roommates. They live in Mumbai, one of India’s largest cities known as the City of Dreams. Prabha and Anu are nurses and All We Imagine as Light follows their experiences related to their love lives and friendships. Prabha is married; however, her husband lives in Germany. Ever since the marriage, he grew distant from Prabha and now, the two barely speak and have stopped seeing each other. They were married from an arranged marriage. At her work, a doctor attempts to earn Prabha’s affections and though his efforts are sweet, Prabha remains conflicted given her marriage. Anu, skeptical of arranged marriages, secretly dates a Muslim man although it is uncertain whether her relationship will ever progress to a marriage.

The circumstances of Prabha and Anu’s love lives are less than ideal and if you believe the heart wants what the heart wants, these circumstances are out of their control. At their hospital, the cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam) risks losing her chawl to a builder who wishes to build a high-rise. She is also subject to circumstances out of her control, and doesn’t want to have to leave the city. Her story exemplifies some of the disillusionment expressed towards Mumbai by the narration in the film of people sharing their perspectives on living in Mumbai.

All We Imagine as Light is a snapshot of the trio’s life and illustrates how the three reconcile where they are in their lives. It is a tranquil film, and is less concerned with social justice or progressive ideology than it is depicting the internal challenges the trio face and their shared solidarity. For this, actresses Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam have to nonverbally express changes in their characters and each is commendable in this film. Director Payal Kapadia’s film is realist, and with that comes some melancholy, but also some beauty. About half of All We Imagine as Light is shot at night and this allows for cinematographer Ranabir Das to use light to control how the viewer experiences the spaces scenes are set in and influence how the scenes are framed. There’s a dreamlike quality in the way the film is shot notwithstanding its realist tone.

The story in All We Imagine as Light is a simple one, though this is by intent. The minimalist story illustrates how much of life is guided by external factors yet one’s capability to find internal peace determines whether comfort is able to be found in friendships, in forbidden love, or in the waves of the ocean and what they bring to shore.