All We Imagine as Light

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All We Imagine as Light

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1h 58m

Drama

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122 Reviews

79%

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50+ Ratings

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. Centering on two roommates who also work together in a city hospital--head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha)--plus their coworker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), Kapadia's film alights on moments of connection and heartache, hope and disappointment. Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family; Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment. Kapadia captures the bustle of the metropolis and the open-air tranquility of a seaside village with equal radiance, articulated by her superb actresses and by the camera with a lyrical naturalism that occasionally drifts into dreamlike incandescence. All We Imagine as Light is a soulful study of the transformative power of friendship and sisterhood, in all its complexities and richness.

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Critics Consensus

Capturing the here and now of modern India with the spontaneity of a candid photograph, All We Imagine as Light is a lustrous achievement that announces Payal Kapadia as an essential filmmaker.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

We’re well into the film when Kapadia delivers her biggest surprise, breaking one of conventional screenwriting’s cardinal rules by switching the setting and essentially dividing the film into two halves. What’s more, it works.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 21, 2024

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Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

This is a film of moments that stay with you.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 17, 2024

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Ty Burr

Washington Post

“All We Imagine as Light” is the kind of movie one experiences in solitude even when sharing it with others. As with dwellers in a great metropolis, it makes strangers and accomplices of us all.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 13, 2024

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Lisa Nystrom

FILMINK (Australia)

There’s a quiet boldness to Kapadia’s approach, exploring intimacy, personal freedom, and the concept of chosen families all with an almost poetic meditation.

Rated: 18/20

Dec 21, 2024

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Santanu Das

Hindustan Times

A delicate, lyrical drama of sisterhood echoing through the sights and sounds of modern India, All We Imagine As Light cements Payal Kapadia as a major voice.

Dec 19, 2024

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

... a beautifully attuned movie.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 17, 2024

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Eva

Lovely tale of the intertwined lives of three women in Mumbai. I would make a point of seeing it if you can.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/12/24

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Roy J

Wasn't expecting half the movie to be about Mumbai then suddenly shift to a sea-side village. Excellent performances and direction. India should have submitted this for the Oscars

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

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Laldee

Beautiful atmospheric film about love and female friendship.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

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devdutt

well acted, good use of colour palette, some funny and poetic moments. seemingly gratuitous exposure of the body that felt awkward and contrived, slow meandering pace that seemed unnecessary. imagination as the light in a dark world is a character in the film. if youre into lingering meaningful glances this film is for you.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Thomas C

Slow and meditative. Bustling and quiet. Faceless and intimate. Compressed and Freeing. A heartfelt story of love, friendship, resilience and light. Liked it a lot but not for most who want action and more conflict.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/22/24

Full Review

Uttkarsh B

Boy, I related so hard to this film. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I am holding space for this movie so hard 🥺

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

Full Review

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Payal Kapadia

Director

Kani Kusruti

Actor

Divya Prabha

Actor

Chhaya Kadam

Actor

Hridhu Haroon

Actor

Payal Kapadia

Screenwriter

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All We Imagine as Light: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. Centering on two roommates who also work together in a city hospital--head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha)--plus their coworker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), Kapadia's film alights on moments of connection and heartache, hope and disappointment. Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family; Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment. Kapadia captures the bustle of the metropolis and the open-air tranquility of a seaside village with equal radiance, articulated by her superb actresses and by the camera with a lyrical naturalism that occasionally drifts into dreamlike incandescence. All We Imagine as Light is a soulful study of the transformative power of friendship and sisterhood, in all its complexities and richness.

Director: Payal Kapadia
Screenwriter: Payal Kapadia
Distributor: Sideshow / Janus Films
Production Co: Chalk and Cheese, Another Birth, arte France Cinéma, Les Films Fauves, Pulpa Film, BALDR Film, Petit Chaos
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Malayalam
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 15, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)