O chamado de deus

‘What is the role of the Church in society in the Third Millennium?’, asks one of the Brazilian youngsters in O Chamado de Deus. ‘A religious person has to take the role of transforming society’, adds another boy, who believes that he too is a chosen one. Through interviews, the film presents the views of young Brazilians, who have found their vocation and experienced a ‘call from God’. But the focus of the film is on the differences in approach taken by these youngsters. One group, presently Catholic seminary students, is preparing to spread the faith according to Charismatic precepts, where singing, praising the Lord and seeking peace within one’s self is seen as the right path for the faithful. The other group believes that in order to reach inner peace it is necessary to get involved in the reality of the daily lives of the followers. So this group fights for human rights, helps homeless children, takes part in the student’s movement, etc. They believe that politics and religion cannot be separated. Both groups are trying to make people aware of God’s love, but their methods are quite different. They comment on one another’s philosophies, even ridicule them. The interviews with religious youngsters and their families are combined with sequences of the enormous euphoria surrounding a mass pilgrimage. The film depicts today’s Brazil, where religious the vocation has increased by 30 percent since 1970. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)