THE CIRCLE A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
THE CIRCLE (DAYEREH) opens with bad news. Awful news under the circumstances. When a grandmother is told that her daughter has given birth to a beautiful baby girl, she demands a recount. She's quite serious about the midwife needing to look again since, if the baby is a girl, the in-laws will be furious and insist on a divorce for their son.
Welcome to a day in the life of the oppressed -- the women of Iran, at least those bold enough to want freedom independent of men. Daring to attempt to walk around the city solo, these fugitives share a common bond of having spent time in prison, and, given their actions, they will undoubtedly be sent there again.
Women in this country where men alone rule dare not go outside without the proper clothing. Even buying a bus ticket without a man or the proper papers is almost impossible.
The gripping tale, directed with great compassion by Jafar Panahi and written with touching subtlety by Kambuzia Partovi, is mesmerizing from the first scene to the last. Told with little dialog, the movie masterfully uses handheld cameras to transform us into another one of the women running along the streets in constant fear of the police. I'm not a fan of handheld cameras since too often the filmmakers who use them create something akin to a shaky, bad home video. Here, cinematographer Bahram Badakshani holds his camera steady but uses it to peer over the shoulders of the women and to focus it on their faces. And, oh, those faces. So tragic. Don't be surprised if you find yourself jumpy after you leave the theater. It's a movie filled with palpable terror as the women in their chadors fly through the alleyways and corridors with their robes making them look black ghosts on the lam. These images will be forever indelibly marked in your memory.
Among many chilling stories, all told with the simplicity for which Iranian filmmakers are so well known, the most unforgettable involves a three-year-old girl. This adorable and precious child with a bright red and white dress looks like an Iranian Shirley Temple. Being under 9 she is not yet covered by the stern dress code. For complicated and not fully explained reasons, her mother abandons her on the street so that the girl will be placed in a foster home. This episode will break your heart.
Most Iranian films relegate the political messages to the sometimes barely decipherable subtext, but Panahi doesn't pull any punches in his denunciation of the repression by the Iranian regime. Don't be surprised if watching it makes you want to join a protest group against such inhumane treatment. You can try to tell yourself that your indignation is just because we Westerners don't understand their culture. But it's a stretch.
THE CIRCLE runs a fast 1:29. The film is in Farsi with English subtitles. It is not rated but might be PG-13 for mature themes. It would be acceptable for any kid old enough to be concerned with serious, intense issues.
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