Profound tribute to wildlife protectors and the birds they help. A perfect antidote to the obscenity that is the $325 million of Anant Ambhani in India with all the worst people in the world in attendance.

An interesting story that isn't told with the heft it cold have been. Why should we care about these people or the birds? If that could have been fleshed out a tad more this would have been great instead of just ok. A nice doc from India that got a major boost from the producers in awards season. Overall frustrating and a little too up its own a$$. The visuals help the documentary, but they don't make one. Final Score: 6/10

stunningly breathtaking, the simplicity of care made me equally sad and hopeful

Sensational filmmaking

Exquisitely lensed and pleasingly scored, this Oscar nominated documentary illuminating the laborious efforts of two brothers and their friend rescuing pollution-choked kites in Delhi is also gracefully paced for much contemplation on the beauty of nature around us and its quick dissolution.

It took me a minute to get into this one, but it was worth the patience. This film has so much beauty and depth. High praise to all who worked to tell this story. And you can donate to their animal hospital, which I did immediately.

A beautifully shot film https://uberscaryblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/one-should-not-differentiate-between.html

68%. 4/13/23. Cool true documentary-film about the bird sanctuary that they start in the middle of Delhi. It's just very slow and nothing very exciting happens. Cool how they get the funding toward the end and start their own hospital. 5. on the rewatch scale

Beautiful visuals, music, and smart edits, but the soul of the film has been tainted by the director Shuanak's ignorant vision or call it simply, some hidden agenda!? Why did he do that? Why no jury or critic noticed it? How could this go unnoticed under the radar of Oscar, Cannes or Sundance? Stick with me here and I'll prove what I just said. ''All That Breathes'' is a very thoughtful title and it has come from a very powerful line in the film said by one of the characters; '' One should not differentiate between all that breathes'' Hindi translation of this line is- ''जो जो चीज़े साँस लेती है उनमें कोई फर्क नहीं दिखना चाहिए''. If you have not watched the film then you can just hear the same line in the trailer at 2:00. If you're reading this you can understand the gravity of this line, the sheer depth of this line, It's about seeing every living creature equally, it's not an abstract philosophical line which depends upon how we perceive it, rather, it's a clear statement which is supposedly "the core" of this film. You can relate it with Ahimsa Paramo Dharma (अहिंसा परमॊ धर्मः), which literally means: non-violence is the highest moral virtue. It's about co-existence of human and nonhuman. When you see such virtues in these characters, Salik Rehman, Mohammad Saud, Nadeem Shehzad, who are saving the injured black kites and a few other wild animals, you see them as a marvel of humanity and that might be true, but there's a problem or hypocrisy where Shaunak's camera intentionally does not pan upon, he conveniently ignores and wraps it up in a musical montage, in fact he buries the crucial elements in a broad day light and nobody seems to give a fuck about it. Here are some questions. During the dinner what is being eaten in the family? It's definitely animal flesh (meat) in the bowl. See the screen grab from the film, 33:31 Min. Link to shot- https://freeimage.host/i/HOlDkMB In Trailer- A guy in the Muslim neighbourhood, on the terrace, feeding goats and chickens (2:4 Min) These domestic animals are not there to be petted, they will be slaughtered. Goat in the Musilm house (1:43min) what would happen to these animals? Everyone who knows Muslims or India would understand that these animals will be killed and eaten. In the film around 1hr.26min we see meat shops in the same neighborhood, Zoom in and look at the chicken waling in restaurant(Link- https://freeimage.host/i/HOlDv6P) Why these scenes are manipulated and slapped with these noble words- We're a community of air, one should not differentiate between all that breathes. Do they have right to say it when they have meat on their plate? When they have double standards for animal cruelty? When they have an entire food culture depending upon meat ? Why filmmaker does not address these contradictions full of hypocrisy in these characters? Why nobody asked these questions? I understand the entire thing about food is a personal choice, food chain and all. But my question is, when you are consuming any sort of meat or exploiting a set of animals by any means and then make a film, which is called - "All that breaths" and the core of the film is the coexistence of human and nonhuman. Despite all these unanswered questions how Shuaunak made fools out of all cinema goers? Read a part of review written in the The New York Times- "All That Breathes" is a subtle, haunting reflection on the meaning of humanity — on the breathtaking kindness and heartbreaking cruelty that define our wounded, intrepid, predatory species."  Breathtaking kindnes? HaHa.. The Director, Shaunak Sen should replace the dialogue and title with- "ONE SHOULD NOT DIFFERENTIATE ALL THAT BREATHES EXCEPT THE CHICKEN, GOATS AND BEEFS" and then I guess, everything will make sense!

Fair warning: this documentary, which was the other entry in the short/documentary category to be nominated from India for can bring out a mixed bag of reactions. But what is obvious in the making is the futility of a decaying climate, the chaos that exists in the environment in Delhi, glimpses of a political iron hand and as far as the craft of film making goes, excellent camera shots. "All That Breathes" revolves around a pair of brothers who have dedicated most of their formative years of youth to saving Black Kites; injured, ill and now falling out of the sky even more than ever. Why the Black Kite specifically, one might ask. I was asked that question while I was watching this documentary. Well, at least someone is trying to save a certain kind of living being, let's not question that cause. Saud and Nadeem have also spent their childhood watching these birds, and their elders feed them meat as part of a religious belief – so they possess a very old bond with the birds. The brothers run a small business in the streets of Delhi to keep a favorable income to feed their families, and moonlight from their garage as a make-shift clinic where they try to heal as many Black Kites that they can rescue. They are assisted by a volunteer, Salik Rehman who is younger and adds that touch of humor to the goings on. He also does a majority of the work in fetching rescued birds to the "clinic", while Saud is the "doctor" and Nadeem, the oldest is the administrator doing the overlook. The time period during which the documentary was shot over is not explicitly mentioned but with events and conversations, one can place a time period between 2019 and early 2020, before the pandemic took grip. More and more birds seem to be falling from the skies with the worsening pollution and atmosphere in the city, and the daily numbers of rescued birds pose a tough, hard wall that the brothers seem to be running into. One is even privy to occasional tensions between the brothers that is easily relatable to. Siblings will have spats, whatever phase of life they are in. External factors like the volatile political climate and communal riots don't make things any easier. One of the key things that stand out from the documentary is a relentless will to pursue their cause. Frustration and futility can be felt, but they keep the cause afloat. The cinematography team of Riju Das, Saumyananda Sahi and Ben Bernhard under Shaunak Sen's direction bring in immersive shots of the streets, the darkness and the swamps, the dumps, the smoggy skies and most beautifully captured close ups and long shots of the magnificent birds. The long, quiet scenes sans the birds can be a bit off-putting, and possibly could have saved some screen time. But the thoughtful monologues interspersed through the documentary step in to bring the viewer's attention back. Watchable with a patient, open and introspective mind.

All That Breathes is an exquisitely made documentary overflowing with humanity and grace. Academy Award nominated, this wonderful film follows two brothers who have worked tirelessly for years trying to save black kites in New Delhi. Saud and Nadeem witnessed as young boys the kites falling from the sky due to pollution. With little money they have tried for years to rehabilitate them and then free them. This is not just a story of dedication and perseverance but also one of the tenuous state of the environment and how humans have destroyed habitats for living creatures. It's all made with a tender hand and contains many beautiful messages about the world we live in.

Pensive and touching documentary about saving birds (on the micro level) and caring for the crumbling world around you (on the macro level).

Made with extreme insight into the true squalor which is the Delhi of today and also when the film was made. Highest accolades to the two brothers and the filmmaker for shedding an unforgiving light on the way things were and continue to be. Of great disappointment (which I understood after seeing the film, the reason explained a bit later) was the utter lack of enthusiasm amongst Indians when it was nominated for the Oscars 2023, compared to the brouhaha which greeted the nomination of the imbecilic Naatu-Naatu, Another cause of disappointment has been, that the many reviews about the film (and in its entry even on Wikipedia) portrays it just as the dismal state of the environment in Delhi (held as the 4th most polluted city in the world just a few days ago), with no mention of the secondary story also covered in the film. Namely, the sectarian violence the Muslim population of the city went through a few months prior to the onset of Covid-19. Couple that with the sordid dirtiness shown in parts of the city and in the present socio-political climate of India, then is it any wonder that the inaneness of Naatu-Naatu is celebrated and this film hardly gets any plaudits, even when it had won the Golden Eye at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 in May last year and got nominated for the Oscars this year?

I liked this film. Very overrated however.

If there is an ASMR for video then this is it. There is a good cause here by kind people, but a documentary this does not make. The camera lingers way to long and there are so many shots that we just do not need.

This was stunning: story, characters and cinematography. I am totally moved because the film shows how our humanity is proven in how we treat every breathing creature, no matter how neglected or seemingly insignificant. And there's a fluid parallel between the threat to the birds and the conundrum the brothers face. It's one of those films that captures complex ideas and realities in a way you'd never imagine. I'm head over heels with this film!

Lyrical and beautiful, squalid and disturbing, All That Breathes offers no easy answers to the issues it raises. It is a story told in tangents--we get glimpses of the issues this amazing pair of brothers have to deal with, but we are allowed to fill in the blanks. See it on the largest screen you can.

This film is simultaneously a horrific but accurate portrayal of the filth and pollution that comes from modern addiction to industrial fossil fuels as well as the divisiveness inside a country other than America--Delhi, India--over religion and politics. But it's also teeming with life and Darwin's laws regarding evolution of all that life, from rats and bugs teeming the garbage dumps and water, but also the endangered Black Kites which live off the Delhi garbage landfill, though they often drop from the sky due to the polluted air. It's an extremely serene and beautiful film exploring multitudes of animal life even in a huge city and the determination of two Muslim brothers to maintain a Black Kite Rescue Hospital to honor their dead mother.

I think it's???hard to explain. I keep watching it over and over again.

In New Delhi, two brothers fall in love with a bird -- the black kite. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film, All That Breathes tells the story of these brothers caring for thousands of these raptors that drop daily from New Delhi's smog-choked skies. As environmental toxicity and civil unrest escalate during the religious riots of 2020, the relationship between this Muslim family and the neglected kite forms a poetic chronicle of the city's collapsing ecology and rising social tensions.