The Healer In Our Midst

I can say with a good level of certainty that this past weekend shoot of new scenes for Seditiosa was a success. I say this with a little bit of trepidation, I don’t want to ginx things and although I’m not superstitious, I’m too well educated academically for that, I still have those ancient feelings that are passed from generation to generation.

I can also add that those superstitions endlessly taught from one generation to the next are exactly the subjects which are now a very strong part of the story of Yahel, when she confronts the believes, fears, conflicts of the people she encounters on her way to the market.

This past weekend Yahel spent some good time healing Debora, the rape victim, who was beaten when she went through that awful experience and was about to be stoned to death because of it when Yahel intervened to saved her, earning the hatred from those in power in the process.

While healing Debora, Yahel took part in the discussions her companions were having about whether it is good for women to learn how to write and read. Debora was very clear on the negative effects of defying men. She had a close encounter with them and she wanted to make sure her benefactors understood what they were facing.

Their discussions were interrupted by the screaming of some people who were running after a fellow who was attempting to jump off a cliff. They were struggling to catch him and hold him down where Yahel and her companions reacted and went to help .

The man himself, his friends and sister are under the supposition that he’s possessed by a Dibuk, a spirit in the Hebrew traditions. Yahel gets more information from them about what happened to the man. She learns that he was found in that state after a prolonged time in the desert where he got lost. When he was finally found, he was screaming, biting, talking nonsense, obviously under the powers of the Dibuk. Yahel knew better and proceeded to help him.

That’s a gist of what was accomplished this weekend.

The production is advancing at a pretty good rate. The scenes schedule next are the Gethsemani sequence, which is not very complicated, and The Market sequence which is going to be the more complicated so far, involving a large cast, a complex set with a lot of stuff in it, including a scene where a beautiful slave is up for sale, some merchants selling the equivalent of ‘snake oil’ and other situations that make Yahel create a series of conflicts which bring about some elaborate action scenes that involve the killing of a Roman soldier and the arrest of the crucified three.

The Market sequence will take a lot more effort and time and it has to be that way. That is when the story takes a turn for the worse. After this sequence things will get really tough for everyone, for the principal cast, for the crew, for the characters, for the director, everyone bar none.

I’m pretty sure Jac will handle that well, not only because of his extensive experience, but also because he has already learned a lot about his cast, his crew, the location, the climate… everything. He knows what to expect from everyone, how far they can go in a day, where are their strengths and their weaknesses. He can estimate with a good degree of accuracy how the next days of shooting will go. He also knows how long he needs to get it right and how to handle it.