Mavin’s tip of the day! Documentary All that Breathes by director Shaunak Sen.
Documentary All that Breathes by director Shaunak Sen has recently hit the cinemas. In a profoundly moving and poetic way the relationship between humans and animals is explored in New Delhi, a city where the inhabitants have a ‘front row seat’ to the climate disaster, as the director puts it. The heavy air pollution causes birds to get ill and fall out of the sky. This apocalyptic occurrence is the motivation for the protagonists of this film: three brothers who are committed to rescuing and treating as many birds as possible. It shows the importance of small steps and perseverance and how the actions of individuals, no matter how big or small can help.
Still from the documentary All that BreathsThe air pollution in New Delhi, regularly spikes far beyond acceptable levels. In the world's most polluted capital not only the citizens experience health problems, the wildlife is suffering as well. They seem to be more prone to suffer, as their sensitivity to respiratory problems is ‘’100% higher than humans,’’ according to Ambika Shukla, an animal rights activist. India’s messy and divided government has been the cause for inaction, compared to authoritative China who quickly managed to address the air pollution in Beijing. The idle stance of the government is much to the annoyance of the inhabitants, who are now calling breathing fresh air ‘’a luxury.’’
Though the situation of birds falling from the sky and people gasping for breath is fairly apocalyptic, the movie refrains from pointing fingers, becoming pedantic or shouting explicit messages. The subtle approach is much more effective, the three brothers never getting extremely emotional, upset or sad about the situation but just carrying on to the best of their abilities. The stylistic shots make for an immersive experience, exploring both the relationship between men and nature as the one among humans though, with religious violence simmering in the background and personal hopes and dreams causing friction among the brothers and family.
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