Photography by Philippe and Regula Kradolfer
Another day. Another emotional scene on set.
Aliza awakens suddenly from a terrifying dream.
What she sees is more than a nightmare. It is a warning—a premonition of things yet to come.
But no spoilers here.
You’ll have to watch the movie.
Aliza (Malia Chennenbrom, UK) is about to awake in her bedchamber, having experienced a foreboding dream.
Like most production days, the scenes were filmed completely out of order. Today’s schedule included Scenes 29, 20, 25, 46, and 31. Some deepen the mystery. Others quietly raise the emotional stakes. One scene in particular became an unexpected tear-jerker despite all our careful planning.
I sometimes think God smiles when filmmakers make schedules.
As the story unfolds, Aliza increasingly feels the weight of her responsibility. She has been entrusted by the King’s senior servant with gathering nine other young women to help light the way for the coming Bridegroom.
Aliza shares a meal with her Dad, Ezra (Haydar Koyel, Spain) and mom Lior (Yasmine Iscan, UK). The plastic wrap kept the real food fly-free during this rehearsal shot.
And then there is the matter of oil.
Oil is one of the central symbols throughout The Ten Virgins. Many modern scholars view it as a metaphor for spiritual preparation. Aliza understands this. She works tirelessly to help the other girls recognize the importance of what is happening. They practice carrying their lamps. They rehearse the song they will sing when the Bridegroom arrives.
Chaya (Nadia Kamali, UK) toils over baskets of wool, carding them to make yarn for weaving.
But waiting is difficult.
Life continues. Sheep must still be tended. Fish sold. Cloth woven. Families fed. The ordinary burdens of daily life compete with the spiritual urgency of preparation. Some of the girls begin to lose focus. Others quietly wonder whether the Bridegroom will come at all.
After all, His coming has been spoken of for a very long time.
And perhaps that is why the parable still speaks so powerfully to our world today.
The challenge has never been simply believing He will come.
The challenge is remaining spiritually awake while waiting.
Maya (Niki Rahimi, USA) parts the warp of her loom prior to continuing her task of weaving.
