All We Imagine As Light (15)

Subtitled

Payal Kapadia’s wonderful Indian drama circles around three women at a key point in their lives.

In Mumbai, senior nurse Prabha hasn’t heard from her husband in over a year. He moved to Germany shortly after their arranged marriage, leaving her to navigate life alone. She shares a flat with Anu, a younger nurse, who is secretly seeing Shiaz, a man from a Muslim background. Although their relationship is considered inappropriate by some, neither of them cares about society’s judgment. Together, they work alongside Parvaty, the hospital cook, who is facing eviction from her apartment after being unable to prove she’s lived there for 22 years. When Parvaty decides to return to her coastal hometown, Prabha and Anu accompany her on the journey.

The story centres around their everyday struggles, from Prabha's hollow respectability and Anu's defiance of societal norms, to Parvaty’s existential questions about identity. Kapadia maintains an effortlessly light tone that cuts through the surfaces to find vivid emotions. Performances are heartfelt, with Prabha’s emptiness contrasted against Anu’s yearning for a serious relationship, while Parvaty’s quiet frustration adds further depth.

A hugely involving take on the transformative power of compassion