The Circle

6/2/2026

Filmed in Iran a quarter of a century ago, and unsurprisingly banned by the Government there, this is quite a savage indictment of the roles and rights of women in a society where their freedoms and choices are largely non-existant. Using some pretty clandestine looking filming techniques we follow, sequentially, three women from different backgrounds and of different ages who find themselves at odds with the societal expectations and demands of the their nation. Indeed, the reaction at the start of this to the birth of a baby girl speaks volumes as to the "value" placed on a girl child as opposed to a boy. What's also astonishing here is that the prosecution of their duties is carried out with an unsympathetic enthusiasm by men of all ages, with an unnerving degree of firmness and who are