February 8, 2023
FILM: ALL THAT BREATHES
DIRECTED BY: SHAUNAK SEN
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The opening of All That Breathes features rats gathered together for a feast in a garbage-ridden area in Dehli. The image suggests what a future might be like if we don’t take better care of our neighborhoods, cities, and, well, the planet as a whole. The focus then turns to birds known as Black Kites that fly amidst the polluted skies. Two brothers, Salik and Nadeem, are working in a cramped, modest space attempting to save the birds via surgical means. All of this reveals so much about the world we inhabit for 97 minutes. While a city decays these two men put all of their efforts into saving at least one of the many species caught within this ravaged region.
All That Breathes is one of the most celebrated documentaries of the past year, and rightly so. Having already won major awards at Sundance, Cannes, and the Gothams, the film is now nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It’s a film one for anyone who cares about nature and our planet. It demonstrates how we can make individual differences to hopefully help us all to survive.
Cinematography here is a key to capturing the fine details of not only Dehli but of the work the brothers do with the Black Kites. It’s quite eye-opening to see all of the animals that roam the streets including hogs, horses, and dogs. There’s also some pretty amazing shots of monkeys climbing amongst man made cables and wires that rise above the streets. Another one features a turtle making its way through a pile of waste. There’s pollution shown everywhere from garbage, planes, and smoke stacks, not to mention the noise that fills the streets. We hear the cry of social/political/religious issues outside while Salik and Nadeem talk about the possibilities of nuclear war and radiation. Essentially Dehli comes across as a city in the midst of an apocalypse with flooded streets, sewage, and chaos everywhere.
Yet, as alarming and disturbing as this all might sound, the film offers hope in the form of these two brothers. We see them rescue box after box of birds that have fallen from the sky. There are some wonderful close-ups of the still alive birds that watch in silence as the brothers surgically repair and bathe some of their fellow winged friends. It’s amazing that they can even have a sense of humor through parts of this mission, especially during a scene in which Salik’s glasses are taken off his face by an attacking bird!
What’s also interesting here is the philosophical perspective the filmmakers take. One of the voiceovers we hear mentions that the life forms that do still exist are adjusting to the city life all around them. Coinciding with the images being shown, we see the animal kingdom feasting on what humans are polluting our cities with. “They’re ‘experimenting’ with what we leave behind,” the voice suggests. It’s also not a surprise then when references to Darwin are made suggesting the survival of the fittest. Are we destroying ourselves and the planet? (That’s a given.) Are the Black Kites, rats, ants, and reptiles that still exist the survivors having adapted to our messes? (Quite a thought.) Given the occasional “attacks” it’s hard not to think about “The Birds” taking over as occurs at the end of Alfred Hitchcock’s chilling and perhaps prophetic 1963 film.
This is a pretty astonishing work of non-fiction which serves as a warning of things that might still be to come. The title is referenced to with the line “one shouldn’t differentiate between all that breathes.” The brothers care for Black Kites but perhaps we all should be paying more attention to the myriad of species we are affecting on the planet. Maybe we need to take a bit more care, as Salik and Nadeem do, with the others in the animal kingdom. If not, they just might survive us.
All That Breathes is currently streaming on HBO Max.
FILM: ALL THAT BREATHES
DIRECTED BY: SHAUNAK SEN
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The opening of All That Breathes features rats gathered together for a feast in a garbage-ridden area in Dehli. The image suggests what a future might be like if we don’t take better care of our neighborhoods, cities, and, well, the planet as a whole. The focus then turns to birds known as Black Kites that fly amidst the polluted skies. Two brothers, Salik and Nadeem, are working in a cramped, modest space attempting to save the birds via surgical means. All of this reveals so much about the world we inhabit for 97 minutes. While a city decays these two men put all of their efforts into saving at least one of the many species caught within this ravaged region.
All That Breathes is one of the most celebrated documentaries of the past year, and rightly so. Having already won major awards at Sundance, Cannes, and the Gothams, the film is now nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It’s a film one for anyone who cares about nature and our planet. It demonstrates how we can make individual differences to hopefully help us all to survive.
Cinematography here is a key to capturing the fine details of not only Dehli but of the work the brothers do with the Black Kites. It’s quite eye-opening to see all of the animals that roam the streets including hogs, horses, and dogs. There’s also some pretty amazing shots of monkeys climbing amongst man made cables and wires that rise above the streets. Another one features a turtle making its way through a pile of waste. There’s pollution shown everywhere from garbage, planes, and smoke stacks, not to mention the noise that fills the streets. We hear the cry of social/political/religious issues outside while Salik and Nadeem talk about the possibilities of nuclear war and radiation. Essentially Dehli comes across as a city in the midst of an apocalypse with flooded streets, sewage, and chaos everywhere.
Yet, as alarming and disturbing as this all might sound, the film offers hope in the form of these two brothers. We see them rescue box after box of birds that have fallen from the sky. There are some wonderful close-ups of the still alive birds that watch in silence as the brothers surgically repair and bathe some of their fellow winged friends. It’s amazing that they can even have a sense of humor through parts of this mission, especially during a scene in which Salik’s glasses are taken off his face by an attacking bird!
What’s also interesting here is the philosophical perspective the filmmakers take. One of the voiceovers we hear mentions that the life forms that do still exist are adjusting to the city life all around them. Coinciding with the images being shown, we see the animal kingdom feasting on what humans are polluting our cities with. “They’re ‘experimenting’ with what we leave behind,” the voice suggests. It’s also not a surprise then when references to Darwin are made suggesting the survival of the fittest. Are we destroying ourselves and the planet? (That’s a given.) Are the Black Kites, rats, ants, and reptiles that still exist the survivors having adapted to our messes? (Quite a thought.) Given the occasional “attacks” it’s hard not to think about “The Birds” taking over as occurs at the end of Alfred Hitchcock’s chilling and perhaps prophetic 1963 film.
This is a pretty astonishing work of non-fiction which serves as a warning of things that might still be to come. The title is referenced to with the line “one shouldn’t differentiate between all that breathes.” The brothers care for Black Kites but perhaps we all should be paying more attention to the myriad of species we are affecting on the planet. Maybe we need to take a bit more care, as Salik and Nadeem do, with the others in the animal kingdom. If not, they just might survive us.
All That Breathes is currently streaming on HBO Max.