Over the span of three years, director Shaunak Sen followed the efforts of two brothers Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud to save and rehabilitate the black kite — a species of carnivorous birds — as they became closer to extinction. Sen sublimely captures how all beings who breathe, from insects to humans, carry on living amidst the entropic ecosystem of New Delhi. 

Sen emphasized the importance of trust during filmmaking between himself and the brothers’ family in an interview with Cineuropa. Demonstrating the evident trust, both the slow pace of the film and its length keep every moment sacred and intentional. Over three years, Sen managed to find moments of the brothers’ remarkably unremarkable day-to-day life. The film includes scenes of Nadeem and Mohammad running their wildlife rescue out of an overcrowded basement — which also doubles as the front of their soap dispensary business. He captures their celebratory ice cream cones after they win new government grants and their casual debates over the consequences of nuclear war — what food will be left for the kites? Will they be harmed by radiation?

The sweeping panoramas of urban nature shown in the film are not to go unmentioned. From shots of the kites floating effortlessly among clouds of toxic fumes, to vermin, turtles and an assemblage of farm animals scavenging among mounds of trash and debris, the viewer is confronted with the indiscriminate effects of environmental deterioration. Sen includes sparse closeups of kites next to cigarette butts, and caterpillars and millipedes clinging onto rusted Twitter advertisements. His unimposing filmmaking style allows the audience to observe humanity’s imposition on all creatures. 

Sen keeps it woefully real, as what he displays is no cautionary tale — it is our present. Implicitly, this is a film about the extensive effects of climate change and civil unrest, tastefully folded into fleetingly, almost deceptively calm and gentle moments. Only toward the end does he zoom out and explicitly highlight the growing tensions and violence within New Delhi.

 “All That Breathes” won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and the Golden Eye award for the best documentary at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It is now nominated for the Best Documentary Feature in the 2023 Oscars.

“All That Breathes” emphasizes the exact opposite of what the title suggests, focusing more on all who cannot breathe. The film caresses the audience with the reality that even in moments of turmoil and unrest, we are more similar than we think. 

What unites us is the shared experience of breathing. Like the brothers, we all are trying to continue celebrating over ice cream cones, to continue loving, growing and adapting amid the background noise of change.

Contact Zoe Singh at [email protected].