Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
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.
All That Breathes is a visually stunning documentary with a singular, meditative vision — Shaunak Sen's film weaves together the fate of injured black kites and the fractured ecology of New Delhi into something genuinely poetic and irreplaceable. The cinematography is exceptional, capturing both the grime of the city and the grace of the birds in hauntingly beautiful compositions. Its novelty is high: the film finds an utterly distinctive entry point into themes of environmental collapse, communal tension, and human devotion. The storytelling is unhurried and impressionistic rather than conventionally plotted, which suits its tone but limits narrative momentum. The ending, while tonally consistent, offers little resolution or surprise, feeling more like a gentle fade than a satisfying conclusion.