Zechariah's Silence

Description

Zechariah is an experienced curate in a city church who religiously administers his duties. But on his last day in church before retirement, he encounters divine intervention in the form of an angel who tells him that his elderly barren wife, Elizabeth, is about to have a child. Although he welcomes the visitation, he resists the possibility of his wife’s pregnancy. Struck down dumbness, Zechariah is forced to search his soul, and make his peace with God. Alone in a world of silence, Zechariah begins to reflect on his life. He realises that he was acting out of duty rather than conviction, and that his work was not based on faith. Eventually, he arrives at a place of self-realisation, and is transformed once his speech is returned. This film explores what might have gone through Zechariah’s mind during his period of silence.

Biblical Connection

The film is based on Luke 1:5-80, and explores what might have gone through Zechariah’s mind during his period of silence. The story of his inner struggle appealed to me because he was struck down with dumbness for a period of nine months. It is an echo of Ezekiel’s dumbness after the death of his wife, resulting in a world of silence and a breakdown in social intercourse. In order to create a dramatic story, I want to pierce Zechariah’s thoughts in a voiceover and have him write it down in a memoir. He has to adjust to a world without spoken words. A satisfying ending will be Zechariah’s re-entry into the world of social intercourse.