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Lighting Dark

I really enjoyed watching All We Imagine As Light. The movie has a moody, introspective atmosphere but does not dwell on what is dark and difficult and instead shines rays of light wherever possible. The three female roles are played well, each bringing a different kind of strength. Parvathy is a strong woman who refuses to see herself as a victim - where doors close on her, she seeks out new ones and without feeling hopeless. Prabha is the calm centering force in the trio, wise and sensible beyond her years but not incapable of dreaming even if secretly. That is her hidden inner resource that keeps her afloat in what seems to be a really difficult life situation. The youngest woman in the group is rebellious and willing to take risks the other two would have cautioned her against so she does not share more than she needs to.

I particularly liked how the problems of the three characters are shown in very realistic terms but the movie glides gently past it to illuminate what is bright and positive. Bombay is so busy and crowded that it seems impossible that a person would find the space or time to be alone or feel lonely but those times very much exist and Kapadia shows them thoughtfully. These women are each alone in their own way and their sisterhood helps them cope - being a widow without documentation to prove that the house she lives is her own, being married to man who calls only once a year and works in a different continent or being in love a man that the family would never find acceptable. 

Kapadia makes us root for all three of them and see them come the other side from darkness into light. This is a movie set in India and relies on themes that are specific to India - like an arranged marriage with an expat factory worker who is never seen or heard from but is still the husband a woman cannot escape from to live her own life. Yet, the way the story is told transcends India and becomes about universal themes. 

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