Response to "The Circle"

“The Circle” struck me by how real the stories of each character appeared to be. The interloping and lack of details really makes the audience question exactly what is going on. One minute you’re following a girl who is trying to get home and the next you’re following a pregnant woman who is trying to get an abortion. Personally, I liked how Jafar Panahi intertwined the stories because it shows how people interact and connect with one another. Panahi’s quote in the New York Times review of his article seems to highlight the idea of inter-connectivity and the reality of the connections between people: ''All beings on this earth are living within circles…The only thing that distinguishes one from the other is the circumference” (Ramsey). This is an important idea to note and can especially be seen in the story of Pari because she calls on two of her connections from jail to try to help her.  The women she asks for help are in very different stages of their lives. The first woman works at a movie theatre and sells tickets while the second assists her husband in a hospital. At first glance it may seem as though they are very different, but they share a common fear of their past. The connections the women have between one another are determined not only by their shared history, but also by the distance they have accumulated between one another since their time in jail. The distance is important to note because some believe more in their own reputations than breaking the cycle.

Ramsey, Nancy. "FILM; Circles Within Circles Within Iran." Rev. of The Circle. New York           Times 15 Apr. 2001: n.pag. NewYorkTimes.com. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

-Emma Daitz