Page 11 - Yogini_NO PERSONAL Directors Note

Theme

The themes of spiritual growth and exploration, grief, the death
of a parent, and breaking from tradition, are all pretty universal.

The thing that makes this concept interesting is the fact that these
themes are being touched on by way of a young person exploring
spiritual practices considered nontraditional in western society
and specifically within her Catholic family. It takes a lot of courage
to really examine one’s beliefs and challenge them, especially

when it is not supported by the family that raised you. This is an
increasingly common experience in western society and one that is
actually relatable to many young people, even though we rarely see

such things represented in media.

Tone

Finding comparable films is a challenge because audiences have
seen nothing like Yogini. What makes this script unique is it is a

very grounded, organic story based on a reality that many young
people deal with, but which is seldom depicted in films. Yogini is
about a grieving teenager finding coping mechanisms as she tries
to find her footing at a time when her support structure crumbles.

Yogini is a drama; however, it echoes the complex undertones
of great comedic films such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine.
Like Juno, Yogini is concerned with some of the psychological
themes, disagreements, and constraints one faces during their

emergence into adulthood. Yogini begins with these psychological
development themes, then moves on to the comeback story through
the mentoring of the Karate Kid, while experiencing the coming-of-
age journey of Little Miss Sunshine.
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