The Calling (2009 film)

Cast

Filming locations

The Calling was fully shot in Kent at several locations across the county. Salmestone Grange in Margate was used as the location for the Benedictine Convent, the University of Kent at Canterbury and the Gulbenkian Cafe provided great locations for establishing Jo at her university, and St Lawrence College in Ramsgate was used for the nuns' rooms and hospice scenes. Other Kent filming locations include Barnsole Vineyard, Joss Bay in Broadstairs, Ramsgate High street and Wingham Wildlife Park which doubled as Africa at the end of the film.

Reception

Empire magazine wrote that "despite the rather awkward shift from gentle humour into full-on soap opera, this is played with admirable ensemble nous and directed with a sincere grasp of the impact human foible can have on even the most fervent religious belief. Brenda Blethyn particularly stands out, with her common sense attitude to temporal and spiritual matters confirming the validity and relevance of vocations to modern living."

The Guardian writer Catherine Shoard rated the film two stars out of five and wrote: "Half Doubt, half Hollyoaks, Jan Dunn's latest attempt to put Thanet on the cinematic map unfolds at the world's busiest, bitchiest convent: St Bertha's of Ramsgate. Barely a scene goes by without someone self-flagellating, getting pregnant, topping themselves or having a whopping skeleton pop out of the cupboard [...] Only she [Blethyn], really, manages to ride the rollercoaster jumps in plot and tone that sadly mean The Calling may fail to speak to many."