--- title: "All That Breathes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/all-that-breathes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/all-that-breathes" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 18 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): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 18 reviews: 15 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-10-27/review-all-that-breathes-documentary-bird-india) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/all-that-breathes-documentary-with-wings) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/all-that-breathes/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 28 January 2022. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/all-that-breathes-documentary-review-1234694866/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2022. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/all-that-breathes-review-1235083507/) ## Evening Standard — Daniel Keane Rating 4/5. 8 February 2023. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/all-that-breathes-sky-oscar-bafta-deeply-affecting-india-b1058215.html) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-v3mn1p/all-that-breathes/) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/16/all-that-breathes-review-remarkable-delhi-wildlife-sanctuary-documentary) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 6 October 2022. The review finds the documentary soothing but sorrowful. It highlights the brothers’ compassionate work healing Delhi’s injured birds. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/all-that-breathes-2022) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2022. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/all-that-breathes-sundance-review/5167042.article) ## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown Rating 3/4. 4 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/all-that-breathes-review-shaunak-sen/) ## Variety — Dennis Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2022. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/all-that-breathes-review-1235166551/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 67/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/sundance-2022-nothing-compares-all-that-breathes-tantura) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/movies/all-that-breathes-review.html) ## Paste — Aparita Bhandari Rating 9.4/10. 23 October 2022. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/documentaries/all-that-breathes-review) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2022. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/all-that-breathes-2022-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## /Film — Caroline Cao Rating 8 out of 10. 10 October 2022. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1047388/all-that-breathes-review-this-documentary-paints-sad-elegance-for-new-delhi-bird-surgeons-nyff/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2022. Festival review. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/all-that-breathes-review-brothers-birds-new-delhi-sundance-20220125/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/all-that-breathes.md