All We Imagine as Light (2024)

Plot Summary: Three women navigate their complex lives in Mumbai - a nurse whose husband lives in Germany, her roommate in a forbidden interfaith relationship, and an older widow returning to her coastal hometown.

Director: Payal Kapadia
Screenplay: Payal Kapadia
Producers: Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff
Cinematography: Ranabir Das
Editor: Clément Pinteaux
Music: Topshe, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou

Starring:
Kani Kusruti as Prabha
Divya Prabha as Anu
Chhaya Kadam as Parvathy
Hridhu Haroon as Shiaz
Azees Nedumangad as Dr. Manoj

 

***SPOILER ALERT***

My Wife and I Almost Fell Asleep

Let me start this review with a very mature Homer Simpson reference: BOOOOOOOORING. Yes, this movie is tedious as f***. My wife and I tried to watch this together, and I think it took us about three hours to finish. We just started talking about random sh** right in the middle of it and had to keep rewinding to catch what we missed. We also spent a bunch of time regurgitating preconceived ideas about what India must be like based on what we were seeing. There's this one scene where a nurse brings her cat to work and plops it right on top of a gynaecological examination chair while she and the doctor play with it. I said something like, "The Indian immune system must be superior to Western ones, and this just proves we're obsessed with germs and should relax a bit more." It's something unthinkable in a Western hospital.

Check out that bizarre hospital cat scene for yourself below.

It Won a Big Award, But Who Cares?

Look, I know "All We Imagine as Light stands as a monumental achievement... securing the prestigious Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival." Blah, blah, blah. Unfortunately, I'm not a sophisticated enough person to understand the sudden shift from an almost documentary style to magic realism. This movie is just slow. The cinematography isn't captivating enough to make me stand there staring at the image in awe. Instead, my mind was just invaded with thoughts like, "What's the current birthrate in India?" I completely unfocused. There were some interesting moments and a few good music choices, but overall, this is one tedious trip to Mumbai.

Below is a somehow funny scene where the 'forbidden couple' - Anu (Hindu) and Shiaz (Muslim) - scroll through dating profiles.

What the F* Was That Ending?

If you came here looking for answers about the husband's appearance in the ocean, and for some reason you're still reading this idiot's view, I do have answers. The whole thing is magic realism. He's not really her husband (who's in Germany); he's a "psychic surrogate" or a "mirror," a deliberate device. The director, Payal Kapadia, even said he's "like a sea creature coming out of the sea" and that this fantasy is how women in cultures that restrict emotional expression can have their "own desires represented in a perverse way." Basically, this amnesia guy is a clean emotional slate, an echo of her husband, so Prabha can finally confront the trauma of her marriage. He gives her the fantasy apology she's always longed for. Then, her inner voice-over tells the figure she "does not want to see him ever again," and boom, she's liberated. She breaks the illusion and reclaims her agency. Aaaanyway, very booooring trip, not worth it for me. Neeeext.

Here's the scene with the three women getting drunk and dancing. There isn't much more interesting happening...

Freddy's Final Rating

39

A tedious journey that lacks engagement despite its prestigious acclaim

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