Mallory attempts to start her day with a simple meditation but is overwhelmed by distractions both in her environment and in her head. Alex Markman directs “Mallory Meditates,” a kinetic character study / mood piece about the arduous task of quieting one’s mind. The simple conceit is pumped full of energy and specificity (see: butt lint), and gets a lot of a mileage from its juxtapositions of should-be peaceful breathing exercises and real world cynicism (him: “Monsanto and Bayer are merging” / her: “that’s weird” / him: “actually it’s not.” Markman stars alongside his real-life wife, and their dynamic is richly depicted. He’s the heady one, always spouting on about the world’s problems, while her concerns are more tangible: the heat in the house needs fixing, she needs new clothes. Eventually she’s able to hush the grating sounds and thoughts into a flight of fancy involving a neighborhood dog — you take what you can get. -KA. (4 minutes). Director: Alex Markman. DoP: Taylor Zann. Producer: Sam Lasko. Produced in Association with Ghost Robot. Grade: Derek Hansen, Arsenal Creative. Sound Design + Mix: Andrew Ben Miller. Cast: Mallory Markman, Austin Rodrigues, Maggie Morris, Sandra Markman.