All We Imagine as Light is not the glimpse into transcendent humanity that its title suggested to me. Instead, it’s a dour, murky tale of how two nurses live their lives, find romance, and… just exist. Which is a positive angle in the long run but I was expecting something closer to wonder and enlightenment.

I haven’t seen a huge number of Indian films, but this one feels very different from the ones I have seen. It’s dark and murky in a way most Indian films aren’t… it’s got a more hard-noses, direct approach to love and romance… and it has nudity and sex which I’ve heard Indian films usually avoid (while being open about sexy outfits and romance).

I guess the angle is to show a more realistic look at life in India and that’s interesting. It’s pretty gloomy and depressing though with a lot of it shot at night. It’s an interesting angle given how most Indian films go more for the brightly lit and colorful cliches.

I’m not sure how much I enjoyed this film. It’s a slice-of-life and well acted but I think doing gloomy for almost two hours is not what I signed up for. It’s well done, but a touch too dour for my tastes… especially when I signed up for something that would lift my soul.

Score: 78