Skip to main content

A superficial glare on deep realities: A review of All We Imagine As Light

By Nandini Oza* 
I am not a film critic and normally do not watch films about India and Indians that receive international acclaim, as they often tend to follow a certain formula. However, since All We Imagine As Light has been talked about so much and is directed by a woman with a prominent female cast, I eventually watched it and felt compelled to share my thoughts.
To me, All We Imagine As Light is not convincing, and the important issues it tries to address are handled superficially. One possible reason the film—despite its many international awards—did not resonate with me as an Indian viewer, could be that with foreign producers involved, the film may have been created with a global audience in mind.
As a woman who has lived for extended periods in both rural and urban India, I found the portrayal of village life in the film unconvincing. The film uses various techniques to depict Mumbai as cramped, stifling, and gloomy. In contrast, it attempts to present rural India as spacious, liberating, and bright. This message is conveyed through multiple frames, particularly a noticeable scene in which a young couple is unable to find a private place to be intimate in Mumbai, but manages to do so in a village.
However, this portrayal is problematic. I couldn’t understand why the couple couldn’t spend private time in the shared accommodation of the young nurse in Mumbai. Moreover, suggesting that lovemaking is easier in rural areas overlooks the reality that villages are often less accepting of relationships outside marriage, especially in public spaces and particularly when it involves women. Similarly, drinking alcohol is socially difficult for women in many rural—not tribal—areas.
I was reminded of Ashapurna Devi’s novel Pratham Pratishruti, in which moving from a village to Kolkata is portrayed as a form of liberation for a woman. Although the book is set in the 1960s, the situation in many Indian villages hasn’t changed much. Most Indian villages remain deeply patriarchal and feudal. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru, despite their chaos, offer a degree of anonymity and freedom that can be less constraining for women—even without wide open spaces.
Additionally, housing for marginalized communities in rural areas is often just as inadequate as it is in Mumbai. Rural transport, too, is often worse: infrequent buses, poor or nonexistent roads, frequent breakdowns, and overcrowding are common issues. Power cuts, lack of cooking gas, reliance on wood stoves, poor water supply, and inadequate health and educational infrastructure all make village life especially hard for women. In many villages, women still fetch water and firewood over long distances. This is not to say life in Mumbai is easy—but rural life isn’t necessarily any easier.
Job opportunities for women in villages, particularly those without land or who work as agricultural laborers, are also limited. These real challenges are barely touched upon in the film. A scene on open defecation felt out of place—seeming more intended to shock than to convey a deeper message. There are only fleeting references to lack of jobs, power cuts, and absence of medical facilities.
An important omission in the film is the role caste discrimination plays in villages. Cities like Mumbai tend to have less overt caste discrimination compared to rural India, which can make urban life somewhat less oppressive for women from marginalized communities. As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar famously said, “The village is the den of casteism.” For many women, moving to cities offers better infrastructure, education, jobs, anonymity, and freedom.
I have been part of one of the most significant people’s movements in the Narmada valley against forcible displacement. Based on that experience, I found the film’s depiction of eviction and resistance lacking in depth and sensitivity. A few lines of dialogue, a brief lawyer meeting, a protest scene, a quick shot of stone-pelting on a builder’s poster, and the issue seems to be resolved almost like a fairy tale ending. In reality, forced evictions and the fight against them—whether in cities, rural, or tribal areas—are long, painful, and deeply scarring struggles. The film fails to give this topic the attention it deserves.
The issues related to the nursing profession are similarly handled superficially. There was significant potential to explore the many challenges faced by nurses, especially single women navigating both demanding jobs and displacement. But the film, in attempting to cover too many issues at once, doesn’t do justice to this theme either. Similarly, themes of sexuality and bisexuality are touched upon hurriedly and without enough depth.
The film’s major flaw lies in trying to address too many sensitive issues at once. As a result, most are treated only on the surface. The comparison between the lives of three women in the city and in the village feels sketchy and, at times, appears crafted to shock and awe a foreign audience rather than genuinely explore these experiences.
In terms of performances, I found Kani Kusruti and Chhaya Kadam not entirely convincing in their roles. Divya Prabha, however, delivered a commendable performance.
I also casually asked several of my friends in India if they liked the film, and most responded with a “no.” While the film has garnered international accolades, for many of us in India, the issues women face across caste and class in tribal, rural, peri-urban, and urban contexts are very real. We encounter them daily and see them portrayed in more powerful, subtle, and authentic ways in other Indian films and documentaries.
To conclude, All We Imagine As Light feels like a formula film. For Indian audiences—including rural viewers—there are many films that address women's issues with much more sensitivity and nuance. As an Indian viewer, I continue to value subtlety over clichéd attempts to provoke and impress.
---
*A version of this blog was first published here

Comments

TRENDING

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos  The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857  By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”