All That Breathes

All That Breathes is a compelling documentary about two brothers who devote their lives to save birds essential to their city’s ecosystem. All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep), follows Nadeem and Saud, who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites, a staple in the skies of New Delhi, India. In one of the world’s most populated cities, where cows, rats, monkeys, frogs, and hogs jostle cheek-by-jowl with people, the “Kite Brothers” care for thousands of these mesmerizing creatures that drop daily from New Delhi’s smog-choked skies. As environmental toxicity and civil unrest escalate in the second-most populated country, the relationship between this family and the neglected kites forms a poetic chronicle of the city’s collapsing ecology and deepening social fault lines. [2022, India, 97 min, Rating: NR, in Hindi with English subtitles] The New York Times writes, “There is no denying the movie’s power.” The Los Angelos Times says, “Maybe the most beautifully realized documentary in recent history. Venue: Cinema Art Theater. Presenter: Rehoboth Beach Film Society.