Working at home can be a blessing and a curse. In writer-director-star Robert Postrozny’s short film, Naptime, it’s decidedly both. Rob (Postrozny) has his Zoom set up in place for an important meeting. He looks professional in his shirt and jacket, with the Zoom frame capturing his home but in an office-esque manner. But Rob’s going minimalist in that he’s not wearing pants.
But, there’s a hitch: Rob’s watching his daughter, Annie (Annie Postrozny), and she’s entering that pre-nap state of uber-cranky. Her disruptions can be heard throughout the meeting, pissing off his boss, and just before his portion of the presentation, Rob mutes himself to put Annie down for a nap. Hilarity ensues.
“Rob has his Zoom set up in place for an important meeting…but, there’s a hitch: Rob’s watching his daughter…”
Naptime is a humorous story of the ultimate struggle between a parent’s professional and personal life, where one side must clearly win in the end. Annie’s performance as the daughter is perfect (and super cute). She cried on cue, threw a few tantrums, and somehow peacefully fell asleep. I don’t know how Postrozy did it… and maybe I don’t want to.
Storywise, the torturous naptime battle is a lesson in Murphy’s law, where everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Postrozny (Robert, not Annie) choreographs it all beautifully, timing the comedic beats perfectly until it crescendos toward either a disastrous or sweet moment (no spoilers) in the end. Naptime is a short film worth hunting down when you get the chance.
Naptime will screen at the 2022 Dances With Films.
"…worth hunting down..."
