All That Breathes

Loved this film . Everything about it.

Two brothers along with their family in Delhi devote their lives to the rescue and rehabilitation of Black Kites , magnificent raptors, that are literally 'falling out of the sky' . The kites along with humans and all species that live in the city are trying to adapt to the ever worsening conditions of what is home. The family lives and works in the vicinity of 'perhaps the largest landfill aka garbage dump' in the world' The film takes us through the day to day life and work of the brothers and their passionate commitment to caring and repairing the many broken birds that are collected daily.

Beautiful directing. Cinematography was spell binding. So respectful.

I feel so inspired and moved by the compassion and love of these people. Having done a lot of wildlife rescue myself I can only feel gratitude for these people who work with SO much less and yet make such a colossal difference. Beautiful work. Thank You .

This beautiful documentary is nominated for the documentary Oscar, and I can see why.

It's a unique study of urban wildlife in one of the world's most densely populated, troubled and polluted cities, yet it teems with wildlife.

We see rats, wild pigs, cattle, camels, frogs, snails and owls, as well as the movie's avian heroes, Black Kites.

These revered birds are finding life tough in modern day Delhi, and as they fall, ill broken, from the sky in increasing numbers two brothers, in a makeshift domestic avian hospital, nurse them back to health and freedom in increasing numbers.

It's a slow reveal that some may find tedious.

Others, like me, will revel in its delicious unfolding of life, in abject squalor, in a Delhi slum. (And yet, I kept getting the feeling that this was a middle class neighbourhood we were witnessing/exploring).

The brothers, and their extended family, live in such a hovel that it's difficult to comprehend the work they do, or how they do it on such limited resources, on top of a day job, and the value this brings.

It's a wonderful exploration of nature as you have never seen it before, and deserves all the credit it is getting.

Aristotle argued that tragedy cleansed the heart through pity and terror, purging us of our petty concerns and worries by making us aware that there can be nobility in suffering. He called this experience 'catharsis'.

Can a powerfully-told story change us, open pathways to being more than bleeding-heart/cold-hearted bystanders? Even a little? This masterful work digs deep, presenting images that i for one will never forget (nor would want to). If any work can be truely, soul-stirringly cathartic, this gorgeous, and excruciating account of a profoundly heroric family may be among the pantheon of works aiming for no less.

Some absolutely gorgeous cinematography and a poignant story of a family dedicated to saving injured predator birds amidst the pollution and political upheavals in Delhi. Sen forces the viewer to slow down and consider the natural world that coexists with the seemingly indifferent forces of urban spaces. And Nadeem, Saud, and Salik share their philosophy and way of life as they commit their lives to creatures who many in their society would otherwise leave to die. Haunting and beautiful.

Set amidst a backdrop of civic and religious unrest in New Delhi, this rather dry documentary follows three men who spend much of their waking hours trying to rescue the population of Black Kites that - like the human population - are being seriously affected by the toxicity of the air and the water in their home city. Our opening scene see Salik arrive at their home with loads of fruit boxes that appear to have minds of their own! Enclosed are these beautiful but rather scrawny and malnourished birds that need a good cleaning and some tender loving care. Mohammad Said and Nadeem Shehzad are definitely men on a mission - and we gradually realise the scale of their endeavour - and, ultimately. The impossibility of them saving all - or even most - of these creatures. Meantime, the city is suffering from violent domestic strife that causes them to send their families to neighbouring Old Delhi - a move that enables them to focus solely on their opening of a pet care shop. Nobody is medically qualified here - the family business is soap dispensers; but a bit of reading and a painstakingly acquired working knowledge of just how to heal many of their illnesses - along with a genuine community spirit from neighbours who help out with meat etc. - makes for a compelling watch at times. For me, though, it was all rather slow and told in too a pedestrian a fashion. Whilst their efforts are laudable, these three have little charisma and come across as dedicated but just a bit too dull and earnest to spin this out for an over-long 97 minutes. I could also have been doing with just a little more science as to the nature of the illnesses affecting the birds and a little more on the politics driving the riots. That said, it is worth a watch - but it is disappointing.