All we imagine as light: a fascinating look at India (review)
Through the journey of two women in search of love, Indian Payal Kapadia, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, probes the contradictions of her country’s society. Strong.
To be an independent woman, a committed filmmaker and therefore a dissident voice. Payal Kapadia, 38, perhaps represents a good part of what the nationalist regime in place in India for ten years does not want to see or hear. Her All We Imagine As Light arrived in competition at Cannes (where it won the Grand Prix) breaking thirty years of absence from Indian cinema on the prestigious red steps.
It follows the journey of two nurses from a Mumbai hospital who share a small apartment. One, married, has not seen her partner for a long time and is, in fact, forbidding herself from a new love affair. The other, younger, tries to live her passion with her fiancé of Muslim origin, which, we quickly understand, condemns them to a form of clandestinity. Around these beings, there is the heart of the city which beats too quickly and makes it difficult to breathe. For if, as it is said here, “the city serves to forget the sorrows of heart”, it can also drown feelings and dry up beings. Payal Kapadia was spotted in 2021 with her documentary, All night without knowing.
In this the beginning of this All We Imagine As Light connects directly with his previous film in this way of capturing live views of Mumbai on which the testimonies of anonymous people are superimposed in voice-over. The result is a sensitive and intimate approach to space. Where some filmmakers impose their characters, their stories and their emotions on the spectators, Payal Kapadia chooses the path of gentleness and quiet revelation. Which doesn’t stop you from hitting hard.
By Payal Kapadia. With Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam…. Duration 1h54. Released October 2, 2024
