While you might think that this sounds like a petty problem, it’s a bit more complicated than that. You see, the shelves are lined with all sorts of yoghurt cartons, but they are all labelled and categorised according to, believe it or not, religion! Sikhs go for the ‘Sikh’ brand of yoghurt, Hindus seem to prefer the ‘Hindu’ brand that is ‘cow-free,’ Muslims and Catholics choose the ‘Islam’ and ‘Christianity’ (made from pure lamb milk) brand respectively and so on. The man is left befuddled by this conundrum and hence sets out to taste all the brands but still can’t make his mind up over which religion—ahem, brand—he should go with. However a detour changes his perceptions towards this strange manner of labelling yoghurt entirely.
This short film takes the silent approach of telling its story, and since it is a silent film, most of the satire comes across from the tongue in cheek writing on the labels themselves (‘100% pure’ and ‘all yogurts aren’t equal,’ the label on the Christianity yoghurt proclaims) and the attitudes of the other yoghurt buyers towards our befuddled protagonist.
“Relicious” also portrays the reality of how dependent and even protective many of us are towards our religious beliefs and how religion, despite having its benefits, can shape our lifestyles, but often leads to clashes, conundrums, and even a whole lot of judgement from other sects.
The movie doesn’t spell anything out for viewers either, so it’s entirely up to viewers themselves to decide how to perceive its message—just like it’s entirely up to our protagonist to finally make up his mind and make the final decision. There is much to chew on in this unique movie and I hope you do catch it while at the Diorama International Film Festival where it’s currently being screened.
