Namaste

A short comedy directed by Matan Haim Yehuda Zrachia, written by Doron Malka and Aya Bogod and starring Malka, Bar Zivlin and Eli Nuss.

Just expaining that regarding the title, ''Namaste'' means ''I bow to you'' and it originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-European language of India. Now to the plot: two young women (Zivlin and Malka) arrive at a park (probably Central Park in New York City) and they are carrying yoga mats and drinks. They then change into clothes appropriate for yoga and proceed to perform exercises on their mats. However, they are not there only for yoga, they have actually been spying on a young man (Nuss) because they fancy him and they have being regularly going to the same spot so they can see him from a distance as he passes by them while he is jogging through the park. Using unconventional methods, they finally get his attention, leading to awkward interactions.

What makes this five-minute film entertaining are the performances and the humour, with jokes popping up throughout. The plot is the kind the revolves around looking for romance and yoga and also dishonesty, as the two women lure the man towards them with lies and do not admit to him that they are attracted to him. All this is supported by light-hearted music and acknowledgements also go to the animation during the closing credits.

The characters that Zivlin and Malka play are awkward and it is primarily their behaviour that makes the story funny and interesting. They arrive at the park with the same blank expressions and make simultaneous movements like drinking from their cups at the same time. The conversations they have between them indicate that they more or less have the same opinions regarding most things. They are yoga enthusiasts with an unusual perspective on the world and they also fancy the same guy. As the 'ideal guy', Nuss's performance creates an everyday young man who is oblivious to the women's fondness of him.

Obviously, yoga plays a significant part in this story, an activity that is utilised in the narrative in a comical way. Moreover, this is a story about finding romance, or maybe about attempting to find romance or maybe even dreaming of romance. Further, it also works as a statement about how people sometimes tend to rely on their views and judgements and are stubborn when it comes to questioning them.

People can interpret this film according to the themes that it explores. However, probably more than anything, it is amusing comedic story with sometimes over-the-top performances and light-hearted humour.