“With intimacy, a great score and some fantastic macro cinematography—the birds loom large here — the movie pays tribute to the brothers even as it underscores that individuals alone can’t save nature. There is no denying the movie’s power or its subject; there’s also no denying the heartbreak of its images.”

— Manohla Dargis,

“The opening shot of Shaunak Sen’s documentary All That Breathes is probably the most beautiful and unnerving thing I saw at this year’s virtual Sundance. Quietly provocative and dreamily beautiful. One of the more dreamily provocative documentaries I’ve ever seen. [A] tiny marvel.”

— Daniel Fienberg,

“It is not a wildlife documentary, nor a table thumping call to action; it is not a family drama nor a political film—and yet it contains elements of all these, woven into a poetic and beautiful tapestry. A tale of tragedy slowly befalling man and beast.”

— Saptarshi Ray,

“Transfixing…Hits upon a miraculous visual language that relies on severe focus racks and the redrawing of physical space to emphasize the shared nature of seemingly human scenes.”

— David Ehrlich,

“Lyrical.”

— Anne Thompson,

“Beguiling.”

— Allan Hunter,

“The sense of a city as a complex, ailing ecosystem is rendered with unusual vividness in ‘All That Breathes.’…Manages a gentle, impressionistic lyricism.”

— Dennis Harvey,

“Beautifully observed.”

— Justin Chang,

“With the great documentary cinematographer Benjamin Bernhard, Sen creates images as sublime to our eyes as the sight of these huge black birds flying through a sky darkened with pollution are to the brothers.”

— Amy Taubin,

“A lyrical portrait. A metaphor for the huge task [of] bringing healing.”

— Alissa Wilkinson,

“Charming and often melancholic.”

— Mark Adams,

“A visually stunning and poignant documentary.”

— David D’Arcy,

“A gripping film about virtue and good deeds. Sen provides…a model for how we as civilians can forgo the routine duties of our lives for something greater, with the outcome truly visible in the world around us. It’s a trigger, almost otherworldly in its imagery, that demands an equally momentous response.”

— David Katz,

“Deftly examines the many socio-political dynamics the world must confront while also combating climate change. Gorgeous cinematography by Benjamin Bernhard, Riju Das, and Saumyananda Sahi captures various birds with arresting profiles. Up close portraits of birds of prey allow viewers to look the kites in the eyes.”

— Patrick Mullen,

“A soaring visual masterpiece. With outstanding cinematography and poetic voiceovers offering profound observations, director Shaunak Sen…examine[s] the interconnectedness between animals, people, and the ever-growing toxic city.”

— Josh Flanders,

“As gorgeous as it is ambitious, as stirring as it is terrifying. Stunningly filmed.”

— Bilge Ebiri,