All That Breathes

Two brothers Saud and Nadeem were raised in New Delhi, looking at a sky speckled with black kites, watching as relatives tossed meat up to these birds of prey. Muslim belief held that feeding the kites would expel troubles. Now, birds are falling from the polluted, opaque skies of New Delhi and the two brothers have made it their life’s work to care for the injured black kites.[5]

The documentary is the story of Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud, the two brothers who run a bird clinic in Wazirabad, Delhi where 20,000 raptors have been cured over the last 20 years. Impressed with the dedication and the spirit, Shaunak Sen, the director decided to film them. As he said, “I am drawn by the subject of the interconnectedness of an ecosystem — one that humans are a part of, not apart from. How man, animals share space and become part of the whole. It is a valuable story.”[6]

The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022.[5][7] It has also been selected for screening at 2022 Cannes Film Festival in 'Special Screenings' section.[8][9]

On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 100% approval rating based on reviews from 23 critics, with an average rating of 8.50/10.[10]

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter, reviewing the film wrote, "Sen has encapsulated a vision of New Delhi in which modern life, particularly pollution and overpopulation, have placed new strain on the balance between humans and nature." Praising the film he further stated that the film "is one of the more dreamily provocative documentaries I’ve ever seen." Fienberg concluding his review remarked, "In this tiny marvel of a documentary, it’s a little and a lot all at once".[11] Dennis Harvey reviewing for Variety praised the score of the film writing, "The meditative yet ingratiating impact is furthered by Roger Goula’s score, which strikes aptly spectral notes." He also appreciated the cinematography and wrote, "There’s an inventive lyricism to the imagery here, aesthetically unified despite three credited cinematographers." Concluding his review Harvey stated, "With a tone more melancholic and charming than one might expect given the various crises at play here, Sen's deceptively casual observational documentary prefers dwelling on resistance and resilience to pronouncements of doom."[12] Josh Flanders and Sheri Flanders of Chicago Reader termed the film, "A soaring visual masterpiece."[13] David Ehrlich of IndieWire graded the film with B+ and praised the framework comparing it with Janusz Kamiński. Ehrlich appreciating the score, sound recording and camerawork wrote, "Roger Goula’s orgiastic synth score (a little Philip Glass, a lot of Dan Deacon) and Niladri Shekhar Roy and Moinak Bose’s visceral sound recording (brace for an entire chorus of rats) complement the micro-attention of the camerawork by hearing a tumult of life in even the most unassuming frame." He concluded, "There is so much life in All That Breathes that you won't be left clamoring for more personality."[14]

Poulomi Das reviewing for Firstpost opined, "What All That Breathes is really about the hunt for dignity of life in modern India — an urgent examination of what it means to be a citizen of a country reeling from its own xenophobic toxicity." She also appreciated the cinematography of Ben Berhard, Riju Das, and Saumyananda Sahi. Das stated, "Sen masterfully reveals the underbelly of the capital, seamlessly merging foreground and background, nature and atmosphere, and the seen and the under-seen. She concluded, "It’s not everyday that you get to see a narrative so attuned to the craft of filmmaking and the beauty of emotion that it results in a hypnotic viewing experience."[15] Tomris Laffly of Harper's Bazaar reviewing the film opined, "Humanity comes in its most selfless in All That Breathes, [which adopts] the interconnectedness of nature and mankind as a guiding principle." Laffly stated Sen unearths something poetic in the [narrative], celebrating slivers of against-the-odds hope in generous sums.[16] Alissa Wilkinson reviewing the film for Vox stated, "Delhi’s rapidly worsening air quality and religious violence form the backdrop for All that Breathes [in] Shaunak Sen’s lyrical portrait of two men who work to save injured and sick birds in the city." Wilkinson in conclusion opined that the work two protagonists are doing is a "metaphor for the huge task that bringing healing to the city’s human residents might be, too." Since "we all breathe the same air."[17] Grace Han of Asian Movie Pulse rated the film as 4/5 and praised the cinematography writing "The camera gazes in awe upon the sheer force of urbanity in the Indian capital – and nature’s ability to adapt accordingly." Terming the film as portrait she wrote "All in all, All That Breathes illustrates a portrait of a delicate ecosystem that is dangerously upset." Han concluded, "As the future heads into uncertain territory, All That Breathes spells out a plea for balance. She further opined, "In this life, everything all that breathes is connected: under the skies, through the air, and the Earth upon which we live."[18]

• All That Breathes at IMDb
• All That Breathes at Rotten Tomatoes