"All We Imagine as Light" (Payal Kapadia, 2024)

Highly recommended film. Although it is a French-Indian-Luxembourg-Dutch production, "The Light We Imagine" is a purely Indian film, which deals with the lives of three women in contemporary Mumbai. The old Bombay is a vibrant and chaotic metropolis in which you have to keep up your good work no matter what happens to you. It is the city of illusion and you can only survive if you always maintain optimism and hope that luck can change at any moment.

First idea: the megalopolis is the result of the dreams of millions of people who leave their villages, the rural areas where their ancestors grew up and lived, to become the first generation of urbanites. The city never stops growing, and Hindus and Muslims live there, segregated in their corresponding neighborhoods. All together, but not mixed up.

Second idea: women unite to face the hostile world that surrounds them. Sorority. The protagonists are three women who work in a hospital. Life will put them to the test and they will always remain united. They will form a unit of resistance against traditionalism, against the interests of speculative real estate capital and against many other issues. In addition to this sisterhood, a powerful love story emerges in the film, which will be one of the subthemes. The flame lights up between one of the protagonists, a Hindu, and a Muslim man.

Third idea: prejudices and traditional ways of life are still very important in a society like India, despite the undeniable technological modernity that is present. The use of the texts of the messages exchanged by the lovers superimposed on the centre of the screen helps to remind the viewer that they are in today's world, where interpersonal communication is increasingly virtual, of course also in India. The ubiquitous presence of mobile phones contrasts sharply with traditions such as parents choosing husbands for their daughters. Current technology, yes, but traditions that are unacceptable with living in a democracy also.

Fourth and final idea: life is inexplicable and often painful, but we must always keep hope. The end of the film is very open. We don't know what will happen next. Probably none of the three women will have it easy. However, they are together, they laugh and break down stereotypes, norms and mental barriers.

Although the pace of the film is slow and it lasts almost two hours, the viewer's attention does not wane. The landscapes, both urban and rural, are exceptional. They show a territory in transformation, inhabited by a very complex society, where the most archaic and the most modern coexist. It is a film about India, made by Indian men and women and with a different vision of the city and the rural. The film gives a voice to those who do not have one, or to those who usually have to speak at a very low volume.