# The Circle (2000)

> A chain of desperate women navigating Tehran’s prisons, streets, hospitals, and families becomes a searing portrait of institutionalized gender oppression.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/8128

## Facts

- Runtime: 91 min
- Genres: Drama
- Director: Jafar Panahi
- Cast: Nargess Mamizadeh, Maryiam Palvin Almani, Mojgan Faramarzi, Elham Saboktakin, Monir Arab, Maede Tahmasbi, Maryam Shayegan, Fereshteh Sadr Orafaee
- TMDB rating: 7.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255094/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Mood: bleak, urgent, compassionate, social justice film night, arthouse cinema evening

## Synopsis

A poignant exploration of women's struggles in a society that seeks to silence them.

## Movies like The Circle

- [The Friend's House is Here (2026)](https://ember.film/movie/7532298)
- [Kandahar (2001)](https://ember.film/movie/17159)
- [Until Tomorrow (2022)](https://ember.film/movie/647762)
- [Life and a Day (2016)](https://ember.film/movie/258904)
- [Tehran Taboo (2017)](https://ember.film/movie/308252)
- [There Is No Evil (2020)](https://ember.film/movie/470787)
- [Holy Spider (2022)](https://ember.film/movie/633105)
- [Beautiful City (2004)](https://ember.film/movie/63005)
- [Law of Tehran (2019)](https://ember.film/movie/408408)
- [Hush! Girls Don't Scream (2013)](https://ember.film/movie/118384)

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