All That Breathes

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All That Breathes

2022

Directed by Shaunak Sen

Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.

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davidehrlich
Review by davidehrlich ★★★½

Often more than 10 times worse than in any other city on Earth, the air in Delhi is so toxic and inhospitable to life itself that birds regularly fall from the sky like feathered rain. The creatures have done their best to compensate for other symptoms of pollution — one species began singing to each other at a higher pitch in order to pierce through the industrial noise, while another started using discarded cigarette butts as parasite repellent — but there’s no substitute or silver lining for the absence of breathable oxygen.

If the people of Delhi are naturally confronted with the same crisis, they are even less equipped to live with it. Unlike the city’s teeming wildlife, the human…

Thomas Flight
Review by Thomas Flight ★★★★ Liked 5

I love when you can tell the documentary filmmakers aren't just telling you the story, but are showing you a way of seeing. This film isn't just the story of a family doing what they can to save dying kites in Delhi, it's also a depiction of a way of looking at the world that leads you to see this as important. The depiction of the ecological tragedy happening in Delhi is never salacious, it's presented directly, but also with a keen eye for the beauty of the environment, even as life struggles to against it's hostile world of dust, trash, polluted water, and toxic air. There's a kinship depicted here between the animal world and the human one. It's not just the kites and turtles that are struggling to adapt to a broken environment- it's the humans as well.

Brian Tallerico
Review by Brian Tallerico ★★★★½ Liked

“Humans often forget they’re also pieces of meat.”

What a beauty. Just a phenomenal character study of our place in the world.

Joe A
Review by Joe A ★★★★

Life itself is a kinship. We’re all a community of air.

Oscar Gauntlet: #35/54

Kevflix And Chill
Review by Kevflix And Chill ★★★ 3

There’s a pervasive sense of dread that looms over this entire film that is rather unsettling. Two brothers in New Delhi have dedicated their lives to rescuing a species of bird called black kites that have been falling out of the sky in ever increasing numbers as the air quality progressively deteriorates. The brothers laugh off theoretical threats of nuclear war in the news, have protests and violence in the streets miles from their hospital, periodically have sewage overflowing onto their floors, yet the brothers remain singularly focused on their mission.  Worth checking out as it’s nominated for best documentary feature at the Oscars this year. Compelling nature documentary that feels like an environmentalist warning, without explicitly stating as much. …

shookone
Review by shookone ★★★

has a decent melancholic touch to its floaty poetic style. brotherhood, detachment, surviving creatures meeting creatures that view themselves as higher ones while creating a hell of a living environment for everyone around, including themselves.

Marianna Neal 🇺🇦
Review by Marianna Neal 🇺🇦 ★★★½

I don't know if this was meant to be depressing, it doesn't seem like it was, but that's how it made me feel. I really enjoyed how understated, and quietly profound it was, but overall it seems almost post-apocalyptic. This isn't a bad thing, it's clearly an effective documentary, but I'm just sad now. Can we stop destroying the planet yet? Thanks.

JBird
Review by JBird ★★★½

When pollution reaches a new height,
Two brothers with all their might,
Look to the sky,
And really try,
Protecting all of the kite.

David Chen
Review by David Chen ★★★½ 1

It’s “Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy…

⛔🏈💔NotAnnaFaris💔🏈⛔
Review by ⛔🏈💔NotAnnaFaris💔🏈⛔ Liked

"Man is the loneliest animal. Trapped by speciestic difference."

All That Breathes tells a refined story about 2 brothers, their buddy, & a bunch of birds all adapting in their respective ways to the gradual destruction of their environment. Yes, the underlying themes point to man-made problems, like pollution & climate change; however, the film itself is remarkably humble & unimposing. A simple observation of coexistence, which is beautiful on its own, with cinematic style sure to completely captivate an interested audience.

🇮🇳❤️
27/39


Extra points for shirt-birding.

Matt Neglia
Review by Matt Neglia ★★★★ Liked

ALL THAT BREATHES beautifully captures the macro & micro impact climate change has on a fully functioning ecosystem through the eyes of two brothers caring for birds in New Delhi. A tranquil, contemplative & universal documentary that washes over you with its visuals & message.

Sundance #25

{Todd}
Review by {Todd} ★★★★ Liked

"Birds are real" - US Consumer Product Safety Commission Tweet

- 2022 Ranked: boxd.it/eWNQo
- Sundance 2022: boxd.it/f5MjG

You see they like birds... that's their thing.

This world is falling apart and the planet is in decline so what do you do when facing a problem that feels insurmountable? You either lay down and let it wash over your depressed existence (my approach) or you go out and do something to make the world a little better and that's what these guys do and it's inspiring... they help birds. The story is interesting, the cinematography is beautiful, the direction is a little different than normal documentaries... it's great.

Good stuff for people that like slower paced docs.

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