Written by Erin Kay Shaw. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
Shaunak Sen’s newest documentary offers a fresh perspective on life in the metropolis of India. Despite numerous shiver-inducing scenes of rats, wild pigs, insects and mountains of trash, “All That Breathes” tells a hopeful story.
The documentary follows three men, Salik and his brothers Nadeem and Saud, and the wildlife rescue they run out of a small basement in the heart of Delhi. The rescue center rehabilitates sick or injured black kite birds. Kites, which are carnivorous raptors, aid in the control of dumps and landfills and without them, trash piles would block out the sky. Director Sen described the birds as “inherently cinematic” yet “ferocious.” He was initially nervous around them while filming. These “furious reptiles from another planet” may look intimidating but in Delhi, they are falling out of the sky at a shocking rate.
The trio goes to great lengths for kites, going so far as to swim in icy water to retrieve an injured kite and grinding bird food themselves to cut costs. Kites are seen as good omens, a way to earn “sawab,” or a supernatural reward. It is said that kites “eat away your worries.” One rescuer noted that when he was a child he participated in “meat tossing” to the kites with his family.
In the interview following the screening, Sen described the process of becoming comfortable with the film subjects, both human and aviary.
“You have to wait until everyone’s bored,” said Sen, noting that “the first yawn” is an ice breaker on the set.
Sen wanted the film “to be fluid and poetic,” “lyrical and philosophical” and unlike other nature documentaries. He also wanted to avoid making a “sweet film about nice people doing good things.” Indeed, he did not. “All That Breathes” is a thoughtful meditation on what gives those people purpose.
