All We Imagine as Light

All we imagine as light is the first Indian film to receive the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. It tells the story of three women, Prabha, Anu and Parvati (Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam), working at the same hospital and linked to each other by a bond of female solidarity. It is a film about the details and struggles of everyday life, giving us the feel of a snippet of reality: daily work routine, human isolation and relationships are told against the backdrop of the perpetual movement in Mumbai. “You better get used to impermanence”, says a voice at the beginning of the film – it is palpable, through the always present sound of trains, construction work and the rain. The city is portrayed with its contradictions and alienating chaos alike in oneiric atmospheric pictures that – together with music and sound design – transport a sense of lightness. The camera is observational and gently moving, going with the flow. This lends the film a contemplative nature and a visual touch of documentary style, while the story focuses on the evolving dynamics and interiority of its main characters.   

Despite their contrasting situations – Prabha is estranged from her absent husband, Parvati suffers from legal non-recognition after the death of her partner and the younger Anu prefers a secret inter-religious connection built on love to an arranged marriage – these three women are striving for financial independence in contemporary India, yet all navigating the same web of patriarchal structures and societal expectations. We thus see through a female gaze how the status of these (marital) relationships impacts their lives, freedom and finally self-determination, which grows quietly…

The DVD and Blu-ray include deleted scenes as well as an interview with the film team.