All We Imagine as Light

The wonderful Kani Kusruti turns yearning into a full-time job, and just for her, this film which releases in India today, is worth every minute of your time. Beautifully shot by Kapadia's constant cinematographer Ranabir Das, the film is suffused with light, lambent in some places, shard-like in others.

There is a freshness and emotional clarity in Payal Kapadia's Cannes competition selection, an enriching humanity and gentleness which coexist with fervent, languorous eroticism and finally something epiphanic in the later scenes and mysterious final moments. This is a glorious film.

Payal Kapadia has created an exceptional document of a city and its people.

Led by two nuanced and engaging performances, it's an impressive achievement from a perceptive independent storyteller. Writer/director Payal Kapadia delivers a memorable and compassionate slice-of-life drama, making a clear statement about the constraints faced by working-class women in India.

The beats of "All We Imagine as Light" are calibrated with hypnotic grace creating a rhythm that induces pure pleasure. Each shot by Ranabir Das in this gorgeous and absorbing film has been composed to have the skin-prickling effect of a photograph taken by someone with a deep and attentive care for their subject.

All We Imagine As Light has its share of lovely moments, but the film struggles with pacing and emotional depth, failing to fully engage despite its artistic ambitions.