Awake:  The Life of Yogananda
⋆⋆½ out of four stars
Rating: PG for thematic elements, violent images, brief smoking.
Theater: St. Anthony Main.

If you want to understand yoga as something beyond a workout exercise, this spiritual documentary could be a fine start.

In the 1920s Hindu mystic Paramahansa Yogananda moved to the United States as a missionary focusing on well-being of the mind, soul and body. He was a hit, drawing overflow crowds to Los Angeles' biggest meeting centers, and explaining that God was in their spines. The film cites praises from such followers as George Harrison and Steve Jobs, who considered him a profound inspiration. It quotes entertainingly from the guru's "Autobiography of a Yogi," including imaginative shots of the visionary bliss he claimed from back in his mother's womb.

Newcomers to the quest for enlightenment may find the film a bit undernourishing. Writer/directors Paola Di Florio and Lisa Leeman tend to admire the teacher more than describe his philosophy in detail. Still, the old cinema images and recordings of Yogananda, who died in 1952, and the controversy that accused him of less than personal saintliness with female devotees, encourage a good deal of smiling if not a vast amount of thinking. Skeptics may decide this is not their cup of Darjeeling.
COLIN COVERT

Zero Motivation
⋆⋆⋆ out of four stars
Unrated: Images of violence and nudity.
In subtitled Hebrew.
Theater: Lagoon.

In a remote desert outpost, a unit of young female Israeli soldiers confront the biggest issues of modern military life. The office-bound staff members face illogical power scuffles among the officers, grapple with their male colleagues for boyfriend duty, and discover that the bad guys are … the guys.

Writer/director Talya Lavie creates a smart, salty ensemble combination of "Private Benjamin" and "Orange Is the New Black." Among actresses of generally similar ages and appearances, standouts include Dana Ivgy and Nelly Tagar as the newest clerical commandos, and Shani Klein as their power-clinging senior officer.

While the themes of Tel Aviv getaways and cross-cultural conflicts are amusing (the troupe's sole Russian recruit is a putz), there are truly striking dramatic moments. It's a comedy, but from time to time camaraderie can be fatal.C.C.