All We Imagine as Light is a hushed, luminous film that lets emotion surface through atmosphere rather than plot. Set in Mumbai, Payal Kapadia follows the quiet lives of three women, capturing loneliness, intimacy, and resilience in moments that feel almost overheard. The film’s strength lies in its restraint: gentle performances, dreamlike imagery, and a soundscape that blurs memory with the present. It’s less a conventional narrative than a mood you slowly sink into—tender, political without being didactic, and deeply human. A film to be felt as much as watched.
All posts by Martyn Wall
Dog Day Afternoon – Feedback
There were 53 attendees, including two guests, for the showing which was well received.
Of the voting slips returned 27 rated it as ” Very Good”, with 16 going for “Good” and only 3 considering it as just “OK”
Some of the comments received included the following:
- Brilliant, tragic, love story with humour, tricky mix. Well made film
- Even better than I remember.*
- Dragged a bit in the middle.
- Powerful, moving, and if we could give it a 6 we would, thanks!
Dog Day Afternoon
Reviewers say ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ is celebrated for Al Pacino’s compelling performance and Sidney Lumet’s direction. It explores themes like crime, media influence, and social issues. The film is praised for its realistic depiction, strong characters, and blend of drama and humour. However, some find it overly long and uneven. Despite mixed opinions on pacing and length, it is generally regarded as a significant work in American cinema, capturing the 1970s spirit.
Hard Truths – Feedback
This film created the full range of feedback scores from 7 votes who marked it as “Very Good” to 6 who thought it was “Very Poor” The majority were in the middle with 12 scoring it as “Good” 19 an just “OK” and 5 as “Poor” The IMDb rating is 7.2 out of 10, our equivalent score was 7.0.
Comments received –
- loved it! deserves oscars!
- a clear portrait of depression and anxiety, how it manifests as anger and fear. What an ending! All left to our own imagination!
- very good acting, realistic dialogue, I’d have liked a resolution at the end!
- sad, thought-provoking
- great acting! Very depressing, no one seemed to seek help for her
- well acted, excellent portrayal of a woman engulfed in depression. A bit hard going for me but I think that’s the point
- frustrating! Well acted, intriguing title
- excellent performance, difficult topic, massive tension, unresolved
- great acting, very depressing, uncomfortable leaving
- didn’t understand the ending
- well acted but too depressing
- miserable
- not for me
Hard Truths
Some people felt that Mike Leigh’s films Mr. Turner and Peterloo represented the best in his career in cinema. He finally had a high budget and his artistic craft met them perfectly. Hard Truths is a step back from this scale back into the social dramas he used to make, although this feels totally new for him at the same time. If you have a dark sense of humour, you will find it extremely funny when she is nasty and yelling at everyone. They put her in one environment after another, almost like Mr Bean but she causes mayhem everywhere she goes. The furniture store, the doctor, the grocery store. I loved these scenes because the fouler she gets, the funnier the movie becomes. It is such a simple and ingenious idea. Yet outside of these comic vignettes, the film is extremely bitter. It is so well acted and well staged. The supporting characters around her bring the depth in their reaction against her forming a film where we are drawing our own meaning. It is another solid classic in his filmography that it is worth revisiting.
Brooklyn Feedback
Forty-six members and two guests attended the showing. It proved to be overwhelmingly liked with 38 voting it as “Vert Good” on the voting slips, 5 thought it was “Good”, 2 as “OK” and just one who thought it was “Poor”. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) rated this film as 7.5 out of ten, Our score was much higher with an equivalent value of 9.5.
Some of the comments made included the following.
- Excellent
- Wonderful
- Loved it all
- Fantastic Film
- Beautiful and powerful, loved it.
- Good film, really like Saorse Ronan,
- Very atmospheric, loved it.
- Very weepy.
- Wouldn’t normally watch it, but liked it.
- It was very of the time. I sailed to Canada from Greenock in the 60’s.
- Great film, poignant, funny, sad, lovely ending.
Brooklyn
Often movies have a magical quality as you’re viewing them. Some will demand your undivided attention, others will hypnotize your senses, leaving them to simply wash over you with their exuberance and classic filmmaking procedures. In the case of John Crowley’s “Brooklyn,” the latter is certainly the case. There comes a moment in the film when you are taken in by the film’s classic style filmmaking, and tenderly thought-provoking performances from its cast. Director Crowley, in partnership with Oscar-nominated scribe Nick Hornby, create a beautiful and sensitive love story that is everything a Nicholas Sparks film adaptation wishes it could be. With a vibrant turn from Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan at the helm, “Brooklyn” utilizes all of its tools in its arsenal to convey a potent message of love and family.
The 400 Blows – Cancellation
The LFS Committee took the decision to cancel the showing of the 400 Blows on the 3rd October as a consequence of the extremely high winds forecast to be generated by storm Amy and the resulting safety implications. Gusts of 95kph and very heavy rain hit Largs on Friday evening which justified the decision. Members were advised of the cancellation by email or phone.
The 400 Blows
Every day life, however ‘real’ and gritty it may be, is rarely portrayed on film and was certainly a rarity in the 1950’s. In Europe however, there was a movement in film-making that embraced this realism and searched for the deeper meaning in the ‘here and now’. This is about the most basic and miniscule portion of the meaning behind the French New Wave of the 1950’s films that explored the filmmaker’s surroundings, and eventually became an inspiration for filmmakers around the world. Francois Truffaut’s ‘The 400 Blows’ is one of the most well-known films of this movement, and has been embraced and hailed as one of the greatest films of all time.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie- Feedback
Fifty six people attended the seasons opening show, which included two member guests and 17 new members.
The film was very well received with 41 voting it as very good, 9 as good and one each for OK, poor or very poor. The IMDb official rating was 7.6, our audience gave an equivalent rating of 9.3.
Comments included:
- Amazing film
- Brilliant! Bring back more old films in future
- Film has stood the test of time
- Fab, one of the greatest. Love Maggie Smith, great actress
- Really good film. A complete character. Such truths in the film about the complexity of human nature.
- Enjoyed Maggie Smith very much. And a good story influencing/intimidating
- A riveting watch
- A classic of its time