Shaunak Sen directs this 2023 Best Documentary Feature Academy Award nominee about brothers Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have taken it upon themselves to rescue and rehabilitate the injured black kites of New Delhi. Part of New Delhi’s Muslim minority, the brothers are acting on the Muslim belief that feeding the birds of prey will expel troubles, which is why many Muslims throw the kites bits of meat. (In Hindi; 97 min.)
Glen Visually arresting, this film depicts one of the world’s most populous cities as overrun with life: rats, monkeys, cows, hogs, frogs, insects, and kites live among the teeming human population. The brothers began their rescue as children and have nursed their underfunded mission as they have their birdsāthrough love and tenacity, saving approximately 20,000 kites in 20 years. People bring them injured birds or tip them to places where injured birds have been spotted, and off they go to rescue another. Meanwhile, the city is experiencing social unrest between the Hindi majority and Muslim minority, and the environmental conditions continue to degrade, with mounds of trash choking the city and the poor air quality choking the residents and the birds, which sometimes fall from the sky, overcome by pollution. Sen’s documentary on the brothers and the city they call home is poetic, tender, and tragic, but the brothers and their friend Salik Rehman continue their mission against all odds.
Anna Films like this are so moving. These brothers work in the conditions they are givenāregular power outages, trash-filled streets and waterways, and air quality indicators always on red. They get donations from local business owners in town who provide them with meat for the birds, and they continue to apply for funding despite being rejected over and over. Their mother loved the kites, and they in turn take care of the birds in her memory. I’ve never been to India. Delhi has always seemed like a world away from the life I’m accustomed to, and this movie makes that even more evident. Cramped and eternally humming, the urban city has taken over the land, and the number of residents continues to rise. The strife between the Hindi population and the minority Muslim population is a stressor for the brothers as well. We watch along with them as news reports plainly say they will have nowhere to go in a refugee situation. It’s all a bit heartbreaking, but also so endearing and hopeful. There’s no doubt you will fall in love with this family whose mission it is to make life a little bit more beautiful, one bird at a time.
Glen New Delhi really comes alive in a visceral way. I could sense the heat, stench, and oppressive conditions that the brothers endure. Sen got amazing access to their lives, home, and makeshift bird hospital. Watching these men persevere through all manner of hardship, watching them sacrifice for something they believe is a higher callingāit’s all very inspiring without drifting into saccharine or sanctimony. The ending is very open, as it should be. There’s no knowing what will happen in the future. All That Breathes does exactly what a good documentary shouldāexposes us to something we’d otherwise never see or experience.
Anna I definitely felt dropped into an unknown world in this film in a totally wonderful way. It isn’t easy, this life they’ve taken on. It’s a really beautiful thing to watch them so delicately fix their winged friends. They’re all so sweet, so steadfast in their need to help, to create, to preserve what it is that they find beautiful about where they are. It’s not an action-packed thrill ride, but you’re right: It does exactly what a documentary should doābrings that slice of life to a screen. Ī
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com
This article appears in Feb 16-26, 2023.