All That Breathes (12A)
Directed by Shaunak Sen
 

SET against the backdrop of New Delhi’s toxic air pollution and escalating violence, Indian film-maker Shaunak Sen’s follow-up film to Cities of Sleep explores his home city through a bird called the black kite and two brothers who have devoted their lives to protecting it.

Shot over three years, this captivating documentary follows Nadeem and Saud as they rescue hundreds of these birds, which fall out of the sky daily, treating them in their makeshift bird hospital in their small basement.

Their dream is to build a wildlife rescue centre, initially thwarted when their application for foreign funding is rejected.

Part social and political commentary, part environmental and wildlife study, this is a fascinating yet unconventional documentary which also exams animal-avian and human relationships.

Some of the most touching moments in the film are when the brothers interact with the kites. One involves a staring contest with one of them and another in which they bathe a kite who keeps still and stares fixedly into the distance, either out of sheer enjoyment or abject terror. It’s hard to tell.

The film shows how the two men and their family battle against a broader ecological and social malaise developing around them to save these birds which have been savaged by the toxicity in the air. Plus the rising social tensions, street protests and violence following the government’s controversial Citizenship Act, which discriminates against the 182 million Muslim citizens in India.

The brothers discuss its possible effects on their family in a poignant debate. It is an understated yet complex documentary with flashes of humour and arresting visuals, which slowly reels you in as you begin to understand Nadeem and Saud’s obsession and love of these birds as you will them to fulfil their lifelong goal to open a bird hospital despite all their setbacks.

It provides a whole new perspective on the city and on its wildlife and human populations.

In cinemas