The Circle

Panahi's version of 'La Ronde' but more depressing than Ophüls' film. However, as with all of Panahi's films that I've seen to date, there is a glimmer of hope in the darkness and that is cinema itself. What the viewer must not overlook is the significance of Pari fleeing to the cinema; Panahi is claiming here that the cinema (both the films and the places where we watch these films) are refuge for the marginalised and oppressed. Panahi, of course, knows this from personal experience.

great iranian movie

Regarding this film's narrative structure, it works in showing the pervasiveness and ubiquity of the different issues women face (often very secretively). On the other hand, the way the narrative goes from one woman to the next, although audacious, feels disruptive and unengaging, making it harder to appreciate each individual story as well as the film in its entirety. An admirable experiment with good intentions with its socio-political issues.

If I leave aside the political attitude of the film which is too overt for me, I may say that formally Panahi gives the feeling of being imprisoned very powerfully. The camera always "enframes" and "locks" the women within its boundaries and "follows" them wherever they go. A woman's life in Iran is a prison even before her birth; the new born girl was imprisoned in the womb for example. There is a strong cinematic language but I wish the story could be more balanced and subtle.

A piercing look at sexism in contemporary Iran. It's kind of surprising that Panahi managed to get this made, because whilst it is in many ways restrained and subtle it's also very clearly an attempt to expose this sexism. This is a compassionately made, well observed, fairly moving piece of filmmaking. The situation the film presents is frustrating (and rightly so).

A Schnitzlerian structure is combined with some interesting direction to create a strong critique, but the result does not quite manage to avoid instilling the feeling of being taught a very downbeat lesson. Of course it must, no doubt, be seen and understood in the social and political context from which it emerged, and the courage required by all to get it made cannot be denied.

Important for what it says. Exposes rather than prosecutes the severe daily oppression of Muslim women and their human rights. The men in the film seem to enjoy their superior positions and support the social torture of women. No male heroes emerge and the women suffer.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

kadin hikayeleri, ucuca eklemeli kurgu, (Film kadin hikayelerine yer veriyor. Kahramanlarin yollari kesistikçe kahraman degisiyor. Bu yönüyle çok ilginç bir film. Başlangiçta dogumevinde kiz çocugu haberine üzülen aile fertleri görünüyor. Sonrasinda cevaevinden kaçan üç kadin biri hemen yakalaniyor. İkisi ise yola cikmaya hazirlaniyorlar ve para bulma telasina düsüyorlar. Para bulunuyor. Biri otobüsle yoluna devam ediyor. Askerleri görünce otobüse binemiyor. Başka bir kadin kürtaj

These tales are sympathetic, and dread lurks around every corner. Panahi's heart is in the right place, but sadly little of it is very surprising. It makes the whole experience rather obvious. And this sort of structure is not novel anymore. It does allow Panahi to touch on a variety of issues, but it also strikes me as a lazy way to piece together fragments of unfinished narratives. I wouldn't call this a misstep in Panahi's career. But it is less enthralling than other works I've seen by him.

a very good drama, but i've got to ask to what extent the realistic presentation is in fact a reflection of the analogous world, because it is clearly forcing its message very hard. the structure was interesting, especially as i was kind of expecting the circle to complete, so to speak.

O Círculo estreava há 20 anos no Festival de Veneza. Filme profundamente brilhante, singelo e ao mesmo tempo de grande sofisticação narrativa, mostra como o Irã é a forma mais bem acabada do patriarcado milenar vigente no mundo contemporâneo. DVDRip SARTRE.

The realist (behavioral and situational, not just social) formula of modern Iranian cinema always works for me, and Panahi knows the ropes from working with Kiarostami. I also appreciate the movie's important and daring message - Panahi later paid with his freedom for criticizing his society like this. Compared to Crimson Gold, I like this less, though. The ideas there are no less powerfully stated, but the the narrative language is subtler and more complete.

I think it's a long time since I've been so absorbed in a film. It follows a couple of iranian women during a single day, and we are witness to their lack of rights (no smoking in public areas etc.). Several of the women have just escaped from prison, but to focalize on that is to miss the point - this is human beings living under severe oppression. Panahi capture the faces of these women in affectionate close-ups. There's something very humane with his glance.

Beautifully done drama by Panahi, with a devastating conclusion that speaks to the cultural realities of women in many parts of the world.

Amazingly good. Clever plot.