---
title: "All That Breathes"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/all-that-breathes"
fi1m_id: "all-that-breathes"
imdb_id: "tt16377862"
tmdb_id: 913838
wikidata_id: "Q111662938"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 18
published: "2026-10-03T02:33:24.863333+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-03T02:33:25.236051+00:00"
region: "MY"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# All That Breathes (2022)

Directed by Shaunak Sen · 1h 37m · Documentary, Drama

## Identity

All That Breathes

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/all-that-breathes
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** all-that-breathes
- **IMDb ID:** tt16377862
- **TMDB ID:** 913838
- **Wikidata ID:** Q111662938
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16377862/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/913838, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111662938

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 79 from 18 reviews

*In a sentence:* Delhi’s injured birds get the sort of care most of us would be grateful to receive

> Shaunak Sen’s documentary about caring for injured birds in Delhi is absorbing and quietly moving. Its patient photography rewards attention, though its account of the city’s environmental problems leaves questions that a little more explanation might have settled.

## Synopsis

In New Delhi, injured black kites need care in a city clouded by smog and troubled by social unrest. Mohammad Saud, Nadeem Shehzad and Salik Rehman appear as themselves in this account of two brothers’ efforts to rescue and tend the birds. Their aim is to help the animals while people face pressures of their own. Family life continues alongside the rescue work, while other creatures share the urban surroundings. The birds require sustained attention, and the people caring for them have to make space for that work in their lives.

## Review

Shaunak Sen’s *All That Breathes* is an absorbing documentary about the care of injured black kites in Delhi, and about the patience that such care requires. It takes the birds seriously enough to give them individual attention, without making the people tending them seem saintly. The rescue work sits alongside family life and a city troubled by polluted air and social unrest. We recommend it, though its account of the environmental problems needs more explanation.

The cinematography, credited to Ben Bernhard, Riju Das and Saumyananda Sahi, gives the animals room without turning every appearance into an illustration of suffering. The horizontal compositions let us look around, taking in the other life that shares the city with the birds. That choice matters because a tightly directed image can settle what we are meant to notice before we have had a chance to look. Here the detailed images reward the time spent examining them.

We were moved by the painstaking care given to the injured black kites. Watching people give that much attention to animals, with the pressures of the city around them, made the work feel difficult and worth doing. The film lets us spend enough time with the birds to stop regarding them as an anonymous flock. We begin to take an interest in each one, which gives the rescue work its urgency even at this unhurried pace.

Charlotte Munch Bengtsen’s editing allows the rescue work, family life and observations of the city to share the film without continually announcing their connections. The pace gives us time to recognise those connections, though it asks for a willingness to sit and look. Roger Goula Sarda’s music helps sustain that attention, giving the quieter stretches feeling without making every bird into a small tragedy. Across 97 minutes, the measured rhythm mostly holds.

The difficulty comes when we want to know more about why these birds need help. Polluted air and social unrest are present, but the film gives us less help in understanding the environmental problems than in observing the surroundings. We are not asking for a lecture or a running count of injured birds. A little more explanation would make it easier to distinguish what has damaged these animals from the wider difficulties of living in Delhi. The uncertainty matters because the images encourage us to connect things that the film does not always establish.

As a wildlife documentary, it is unusually interested in the work of looking after animals. We spend time with creatures that need help and people willing to give it, and that proves enough to hold the film. Mohammad Saud, Nadeem Shehzad and Salik Rehman keep the human effort in view, while the scenes of family life stop the rescue work from seeming like their only concern. That attention to ordinary life helps keep the admiration from becoming solemn.

This is worth an evening when there is time to give it proper attention. Anyone wanting a brisk account of how bird rescue works should expect frustration, and the environmental questions will not all be answered. Leave the phone in another room.

*Fi1m score 82, published 3 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to All That Breathes, with praise clustering around its cinematography and patient observation of two brothers rescuing injured birds in Delhi. The reviews value the attention paid to animals and overlooked urban life, and the way everyday rescue work brings environmental damage and political tensions into view. Several also praise the sound, while the brothers’ care for the birds gives the film an emotional directness that critics repeatedly recognise.

Reservations concern how much the observational approach leaves unexplained. IndieWire finds the meditative structure sometimes shapeless and the brothers elusive, while the Evening Standard wants more environmental context. Slant Magazine raises a different concern: the beauty of the imagery can risk making poverty look attractive. The recorded scores range from mixed to strongly enthusiastic, with no negative verdicts; the available reservations mostly qualify admiration for the film’s methods rather than reject them.

## Straight answers

**Is All That Breathes worth watching?**

*All That Breathes* is worth watching for its patient observation of injured birds and the people caring for them; we score it 82 out of 100. We find the painstaking rescue work quietly moving, but recommend it to viewers willing to sit and look rather than those wanting a brisk explanation of Delhi’s environmental problems.

**How long is All That Breathes, and what is it rated?**

*All That Breathes* runs 1h 37m. It is a documentary and drama film.

**Where can I watch All That Breathes in Malaysia?**

*All That Breathes* is streaming on HBO Max in Malaysia. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does All That Breathes compare to Honeyland?**

*All That Breathes* shares [*Honeyland*](https://film.one/film/honeyland)’s patient attention to animal care under human pressure, but gives more space to observing its urban surroundings. We recommend *Honeyland* for a stronger dramatic shape, though its editing conceals too much of the construction. *All That Breathes* suits a more contemplative evening, with detailed photography and moving rescue work, but leaves environmental questions insufficiently explained.

**What should I watch after All That Breathes?**

After *All That Breathes*, try [*Honeyland*](https://film.one/film/honeyland) (2019, Fi1m 82): Another patient documentary about animal care made precarious by human demands. Then [*The Gleaners and I*](https://film.one/film/the-gleaners-and-i) (2000, Fi1m 85): An inquisitive documentary finding people and possibilities where others see only waste; and [*The Red Turtle*](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle) (2016, Fi1m 84): Wordless animation that gives human vulnerability and animal life equal weight.

### Reviews we read (18)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Robert Abele (90/100, inferred): Abele calls the documentary an extraordinary, humane work that illuminates ecological and societal change. He especially praises its poetic imagery and attentive observation of the brothers’ interconnected world. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-10-27/review-all-that-breathes-documentary-bird-india)
- **Sight and Sound** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the documentary a remarkable and vital work of cinema. They praise Sen’s patient, sculpted style for opening up the brothers’ story to the many forms of life around them. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/all-that-breathes-documentary-with-wings)
- **Empire**, John Nugent (85/100, inferred): The review finds the documentary thoughtful and meditative, with exceptional visual artistry. It especially praises the beautifully composed cinematography and its humane balance of large-scale issues with everyday family life. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/all-that-breathes/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B+): Ehrlich calls the film a vital, transfixing work of urban ecology, though its meditative style can feel shapeless and its subjects remain elusive. He singles out the striking cinematography and sound design for revealing the teeming life in overlooked details. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/all-that-breathes-documentary-review-1234694866/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (82/100, inferred): Fienberg finds the documentary quietly provocative and dreamily beautiful, calling it a tiny marvel. He praises its carefully composed, horizontal imagery capturing nature and human chaos in New Delhi. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/all-that-breathes-review-1235083507/)
- **Evening Standard**, Daniel Keane (4/5): Keane finds the documentary deeply affecting, visually striking and empathetic. He particularly praises its poetic imagery and soundtrack, while noting that it could provide more context about India’s environmental struggles. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/all-that-breathes-sky-oscar-bafta-deeply-affecting-india-b1058215.html)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): The review presents the documentary as an unusual and compelling film. It singles out the brothers’ care for injured birds against Delhi’s smog-filled, unrest-shadowed backdrop. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-v3mn1p/all-that-breathes/)
- **The Guardian**, Wendy Ide (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the documentary remarkable and beautifully told. They single out its affectionate portrait of the brothers’ painstaking wildlife rescue work as a lens on Delhi’s environmental and social crisis. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/16/all-that-breathes-review-remarkable-delhi-wildlife-sanctuary-documentary)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The review finds the documentary soothing but sorrowful. It highlights the brothers’ compassionate work healing Delhi’s injured birds. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/all-that-breathes-2022)
- **Screen Daily**, Allan Hunter (75/100, inferred): Hunter presents the documentary as mesmerising and clearly positive. He singles out its portrait of two brothers devoted to rescuing black kites in New Delhi. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/all-that-breathes-sundance-review/5167042.article)
- **Slant Magazine**, Pat Brown (3/4): The review finds the documentary both otherworldly and humanizing, while noting that its visual beauty sometimes risks aestheticizing poverty. It praises the richly detailed imagery and the film’s attention to the kites as distinct beings. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/all-that-breathes-review-shaunak-sen/)
- **Variety**, Dennis Harvey (70/100, inferred): Harvey finds the documentary compassionate and gently lyrical, emphasizing resilience amid environmental and political crises. He especially praises its inventive cinematography for revealing the interconnected life of Delhi’s urban ecosystem. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/all-that-breathes-review-1235166551/)
- **RogerEbert.com** (67/100, inferred): The accessible page is only a browser-check screen, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The URL identifies a Sundance 2022 article covering All That Breathes alongside two other films. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/sundance-2022-nothing-compares-all-that-breathes-tantura)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The article appears to be a review of the specified film, but its text is unavailable. I can’t verify the critic’s verdict or what the review singles out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/movies/all-that-breathes-review.html)
- **Paste**, Aparita Bhandari (9.4/10): Bhandari finds the documentary enchanting and lyrically connects bird rescue to New Delhi’s environmental and political climate. She praises its spectacular cinematography and magical animal imagery, while noting that some conversations feel stilted and the causes of the birds’ injuries remain unclear. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/documentaries/all-that-breathes-review)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (80/100, inferred): Wilkinson praises the documentary as a complex, wide-ranging portrait of life in Delhi. She singles out its beautiful cinematography and its attention to how animals, people, politics and the environment are interconnected. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/all-that-breathes-2022-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **/Film**, Caroline Cao (8 out of 10): Cao finds the documentary elegiac and compelling, while noting that its observational approach keeps the brothers somewhat at a distance. She praises the film’s loving attention to the black kites and its connection between their rescue and the brothers’ struggle against marginalization. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1047388/all-that-breathes-review-this-documentary-paints-sad-elegance-for-new-delhi-bird-surgeons-nyff/)
- **The Playlist** (64/100, inferred): The URL identifies a review of the specified film, but the page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its praise or complaints cannot be determined from the available text. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/all-that-breathes-review-brothers-birds-new-delhi-sundance-20220125/)

## Details

- **Director:** Shaunak Sen
- **Director:** Shaunak Sen
- **Cinematography:** Riju Das, Saumyananda Sahi, Ben Bernhard
- **Editor:** Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
- **Music:** Roger Goula Sarda
- **Producer:** Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann
- **Cast:** Mohammad Saud as Self; Nadeem Shehzad as Self; Salik Rehman as Self
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **First release (the US):** 21 January 2022
- **Genres:** Documentary, Drama
- **Box office:** $43,467
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdjH0tfjbkQ

## Where to watch in Malaysia

- HBO Max: streaming

*Checked 2026-10-03.*

Also available in: AR, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IL, IS, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary 2022: Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary (won)

## If you liked this

- *Honeyland* (2019), Fi1m 82: Another patient documentary about animal care made precarious by human demands. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/honeyland.md)
- *Gunda* (2020): Farm animals receive the sustained, unsentimental attention usually reserved for human faces.
- *The Gleaners and I* (2000), Fi1m 85: An inquisitive documentary finding people and possibilities where others see only waste. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-gleaners-and-i.md)
- *The Red Turtle* (2016), Fi1m 84: Wordless animation that gives human vulnerability and animal life equal weight. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle.md)
- *Kes* (1969), Fi1m 88: A boy’s care for a kestrel offers relief from a harsh daily life. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kes.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/all-that-breathes