It happens that we choose we do
certain things because of FOMO. That is how I ended up watching All We Imagine As
Light (AWIAL). And somewhere in the first half, I realized that I should not
have been movie hall to watch this move. I could have waited for it to appear
on OTT or even other chance encounter.
I liked the movie. I like the detailing of reality in the art form. But may be because of age, I seek an escape through the stories that I interact with, a shock to my senses, an intellectual or moral puzzle that stays with me. AWIAL contains nothing of this sort. It is a story of temporary closures, shown beautifully and marketed even more successfully.
I liked the movie. I like the detailing of reality in the art form. But may be because of age, I seek an escape through the stories that I interact with, a shock to my senses, an intellectual or moral puzzle that stays with me. AWIAL contains nothing of this sort. It is a story of temporary closures, shown beautifully and marketed even more successfully.
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| Image from internet |
It has its own moments of magic, a part where we must choose to believe whether a certain character is indeed what it seems to be. The movie turns there and one of the leading characters moves from tiring fight with herself to clarity, an end that we all love to experience.
For me, an enjoyable story is one where I am hooked to an uncertainty that does not have a predictable conclusion. It does not matter if the story is made up of pieces which are believable, of type where I can see myself witnessing such incidences.
I also realize that form matters. I would have enjoyed a novel where two characters, one which chooses restraint and obligation and other which chooses succumbing to desires with sense of guilt over any attempt to tide this painful duel, are brought together. But I could not enjoy that in the movie. Novel can go on for days, I am in movie hall for those few hours. Maybe a series is where one finds a combination of too.
Movie scores some woke political points as well. A thoughtful Muslim man in love with non-Muslim partner, who anticipates the turmoil his actions can cause, is clearly a statement. And then there is a brief scene of pumped-up solidarity of workers (?), demanding their rights in the face of loss. May be because of influence of what I have been encountering consistently as an opinion over last few years, I wonder how much of the promotion and discussion of this movie is due to politics of narratives.
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| Image from internet |
Several other movies come to mind. ‘Court’ goes close to AWIAL is terms of depicting the reality. But ‘Court’ takes Kafkaesque route, showing the tragedy of institutions crushing the individuals they are supposed to emancipate. ‘Court’ is also explicit in its politics. Interesting point is the director of court has gone deeper into moral conundrums of idealism and acceptance of mediocre reality in the next film.
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| Image from internet |
The self-imposed limitation of AWIAL is it has chosen the intriguing yet mundane aspect of intimacy as a contour of exploration of metropolitan claustrophobic loneliness. The actors have done splendid job and kudos to director for the mastery of depiction. But never goes to the gory depths like ‘Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil’. AWIAL retains a composure, a calm point where all sort of ends beacon. Well, that is a good thing.
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| Image from internet |
I wonder then what determines the fame of a movie. I do not see AWIAL as a standout solely through its storytelling. There are many which have used metropolitan longings and intimacy and loneliness. Many have turned cliched and chosen an artificial beauty to maintain a core of acceptable sorrows. (Like ‘Sir – is love enough?) They have floated on social media for a while, generated their own sense of FOMO and now part of archives. But why some seems to generate a splash more than their peers? The answer will take us to roads which are too boring as compared to enticing poison of engaging stories. For me, the choice is clear. I want stories to escape the reality, and not to go too close to it where its inevitable tragedy interspersed with moments of calmness is all that we see. To be honest, AWIAL is not a tragedy, it is not ‘not a tragedy; either. It just ends on the shore where all waves come home. I enjoyed its lights and darkness, but I wait for next season of Patallok with much more eagerness.
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