The Calling

“Director Piotr Matyja has a distinct and clear vision with where to take this film with outstanding execution…”

Two brothers, living in isolation after an apocalypse, clash over their beliefs when intruders approach their hideout.

After only a matter of seconds into The Calling’s opening shot, it was clear that we would be in for a treat. Director Piotr Matyja has a distinct and clear vision with where to take this film with outstanding execution.

Before we get into the finer details of the film, we first need to acknowledge the incredible filming location in Poland. This vast labyrinth of concrete provided the perfect backdrop for the story and not only added realism but also a continuing sense of danger throughout. Working within such a derelict location must not have been easy for the cast and crew but it certainly paid off.

Writer Szymon Skowroński takes his time with the story allowing for more visual storytelling without having to talk down to the audience. The setup is already interesting enough without needless dialogue and exposition. The real dialogue is what’s not being said between the two actors, allowing them to create characters with real dilemmas.

Actors Mateusz Rozwadowski (Eljasz) and Konrad Repiński (Kuba) were very well cast as brothers and have an immediate closeness that was surely needed to pull this story off. Revolving the story around just them with barely recognising the supporting cast helped to create a sense of dependence on one another that both actors performed excellently. Rozwadowski’ performance added a genuine sense of fear of the unknown to keep his brother safe at all costs. To contrast this, Repiński delivers a genuinely raw innocence that helps add to the brotherly dynamic. Both actors should be commended for their superb performances.

Director of Photography Przemek Sitek manages to make full use of the location and challenging conditions to create a high end result. It’s hard to tell where lighting equipment was and wasn’t used as it all feels so natural and fitting for the dramatic tone of the story. Both Sitek and Matyja avoid keeping the camera in one place to avoid making the location too familiar and comfortable for the characters. This is a dangerous environment and the visuals reflect that.

The score from the Maciej Henel-Celis is incredibly subtle and doesn’t get in the way for the sake of it. The story called for some silence and Henel-Celis knew just where to use it. The building score in the finale is perfect and elevated the whole film.

The same can be said of the editing from Aleksandra Kasprowicz that felt well paced without holding on shots for too long and risk losing the audiences attention.

Matyja and his team have put together an outstanding film here and one that certainly deserves five stars. Even with it’s subtle Sci-Fi foundation, the story is so strong that it becomes an after thought. This is a compelling drama that doesn’t waste time setting up an expansive dystopian world, instead it get’s right into the main themes of the story. The fear of the unknown…

— APEX Film Awards