The Circle
An ambitious young employee becomes the public face of a tech giant whose quest for total transparency threatens privacy, autonomy, and human connection.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- paranoid
- polished
- uneasy
- tech thriller night
- social media discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly found the timely premise and impressive cast undermined by repetitive, tonally inconsistent execution and an obvious treatment of its surveillance themes.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mae's professional rise depends on a company-wide experiment that makes personal activity increasingly visible and trackable.
The Circle presents total connectivity and transparency as benevolent progress while expanding its influence over individual freedom.
The company's environment is presented as clean, expansive, and digitally saturated, contrasting with the ethical unease beneath its public image.
Mae enters the technology company seeking opportunity and gradually becomes invested in its culture, status system, and experiment.
Films like The Circle, and why
The Truman Show
shared surveillance paranoia, corporate power, and science fiction thriller tension
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
shared technology-driven social control and ethical questions about privacy
The Social Network
shared workplace tech culture, youthful ambition, and morally compromised innovation
Enemy of the State
shared near-future surveillance society and individual resistance to institutional control
Movie Details
- Director
- James Ponsoldt
- Release Date
- 2017-04-27
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (4660)
Cast
- Emma Watson
- Tom Hanks
- John Boyega
- Karen Gillan
- Ellar Coltrane
- Patton Oswalt
- Glenne Headly
- Bill Paxton
- Poorna Jagannathan
- Nate Corddry
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Circle about?
- An ambitious young employee becomes the public face of a tech giant whose quest for total transparency threatens privacy, autonomy, and human connection.
- What is The Circle like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Circle as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Circle violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Circle.
- What did critics think of The Circle?
- Critics broadly found the timely premise and impressive cast undermined by repetitive, tonally inconsistent execution and an obvious treatment of its surveillance themes.
- Which films are like The Circle?
- Films with a similar feel include The Truman Show, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, The Social Network, and Enemy of the State.
- How long is The Circle?
- The Circle runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Circle?
- In United States, The Circle is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
