All that Breaths

All That Breathes (2022), the first film ever to win Best Documentary at both the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. It follows the story of two Muslim brothers, Nadeem and Saud, who run from their flat a tiny hospital for birds in Delhi.

They mainly rescue injured black kites struggling to survive in an overcrowded, rubbish-strewn contaminated environment. Director Shaunak Sen describes his film as a love story between man and bird, as the two brothers struggle to keep up with the sheer number of these magisterial creatures requiring treatment. He was certain he didn’t want to make a nature documentary or a ‘sweet film about nice people doing nice things’, but he wanted to reflect on the entanglement of human and non-human lives. With beautiful, sweeping shots of kites in flight, Sen makes the case to reconsider these abundant, disdained carnivores.‘Birds normally occupy the fringes of our vision. I wanted to centre them’.
A stone-cold masterpiece     Film Companion Magazine,

‘There is no denying this movies power     New York Times.

A: Beautifully filmed squalor (A) Thought provoking (A) Gripping and absorbing. (A) Profound and lyrical (A)
Amazing (A) The pace was quite wonderful and the unromantic direction a revelation. (A)
A wonderful symphonic poem binding so much life, ugliness and beauty, strong, defeat and victory.(A)
Thought provoking (A) Wonderful. Heart wrenching. Terrifying. What more can one say? (A) Food for thought (A) Extraordinary of brotherly achievement against the odds – and all in the vibrant context of Delhi (A)
Wonderful observation of the brothers’ relationship. How glorious the birds soaring above all the mess of the human world. (A)
Beautifully crafted and understated film about brave people struggling against the odds. A brave, thought provoking film. (A) Excellent…and amazing and moving and thought provoking and very disturbing. (A)
Amazing, gave a different perspective to put my own life in context (A)
Understated, serene and contemplative. The brothers and Salik, a gentle and moving trio; gently thought provoking (A) Mesmerising and thought provoking!! (A) Wonderful. Like an Attenborough documentary directed by Hitchcock or Tarantino! (A) Very inspirational & thought provoking (A)

B: Wonderful perspective of impact of humans on the environment and wildlife. Enjoyed; lovely bit of culture (B) Outstanding (B) Very good….grim and glorious. Loved the photography. Prescient (B)
An eye opener and a reminder of our real place in the wonderful contrasting world .(B) Heart wrenching at times and future? (B) Interesting (B) I enjoyed the humour. Beautiful to see the wildlife up close and personal! (B) A refreshingly ‘honest’ recording of the extraordinary commitment to these beautiful and useful birds, helping to clean up humans’ filth. The men were so tender and the birds so calm in their care, and with each other! (B)

C: Interesting subject matter amid India politics. Good photography. (C) Unusual + strangely comforting. (C) Remarkable (C) Very relaxing – strange. Very different (C) Strangely compelling and life affirming (C)

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