All We Imagine as Light

Kapadia has an eye for the specific, important in such a sprawling story.

The film may end on notes of joy, but what lingers is more sadness.

“All We Imagine as Light” is so confident in its poise, so expert in its exfoliation of a glittering, disconnected Mumbai and the delicate interiority of its trio of women...

A portrait of female loneliness, longing, and suffering that derives its power from its subtle lyricism and heartfelt empathy.

Calling any given city a “character” in a movie set in it has become a haggard critical cliché, but All We Imagine as Light depicts Mumbai with such vivid and poetic specificity that the term is tempting.

High among the film’s many standout virtues is how fully Kapadia has captured the faces of this trio. This is her first dramatic feature, and no doubt her previous background as a documentarian helped account for such searching portraiture.

The final shot of a dot of civilization and open community under the stars rivals “Anora” (2024) as the best, cathartic finale. If only the whole world could be like that shot. It is a practical and accessible image of utopia.

Kapadia establishes a bittersweet but increasingly hopeful tone, building to an unexpectedly gracious crescendo in a compassionate portrait of friendship.

Kusruti and Prabha are great in these roles. You really get a sense of the conflict that drives them and the uncertainty of letting go from convention when toeing the line is quite literally a necessity for survival.

The film is a thoughtful, if sometimes wandering, journey with little moments and details that turn it into something more profound and lovely.