The mark of an immature man is that he wishes to die for an unworthy cause while the mark of the mature man is that he wishes to live humbly
for a worthy one.

-Wilhelm Stekel

The Calling is an exploration of man’s lust for adventure and the extraordinary places it can lead him.

Director Stuart Kershaw sets out to discover why young men from all walks of life and across cultures are so magnetically attracted to ideas of sacrifice and heroism. His journey takes him from the monotony of western living to the wilderness of Alaska and finally the shifting warfronts of the Middle East.

Firstly, Kershaw explores the motivations of idealistic young men who journey into the deserts in pursuit of spiritual Epiphany. This is epitomised by the story of Chris McCandless, as realized in Sean Penn’s feature Into the Wild, and Kershaw retraces McCandless’ fateful steps through the Alaskan outback and into the unknown.

McCandless’ story follows with a journey to the West Bank where Kershaw witness’s young Israeli soldiers fighting even younger Palestinian school children armed with stones and catapults. The tragic consequences of this battle are revealed in real time as Kershaw documents the young men willing to ‘risk all’ to realise their heroic desires and give their lives undeniable meaning. And yet it is not just the disillusioned and poverty stricken who find solace in mass movements. Fanaticism is a trans-class phenomenon and Kershaw explores why so many of the 9/11 hijackers harked from well-educated middle class families; and why the same phenomenon can be witnessed in sports stadia across Europe, where soccer hooliganism is rife. In his exploration, Kershaw goes undercover to meet some of the most notorious football hooligans in the UK, the elusive ICF, as seen in the feature film Green Street starring Elijah Wood. 

As Kershaw moves closer to understanding his private motivations, he must suspend balanced rationale like the radicals around him, if he is to understand the priceless gift of belonging.