Circumstance
Two affluent Tehran teenagers pursue a forbidden romance while family repression and a troubled brother threaten to expose their private lives.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- intimate
- melancholic
- arthouse film night
- lgbtq+ cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as a compelling and visually assured drama about queer desire, youth, and repression, despite some unevenness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Atafeh's lesbian relationship with Shireen becomes the film's emotional and social fault line.
The characters' intimate lives are constrained by Iranian family expectations and broader political repression.
Mehran's increasingly dangerous fixation threatens Atafeh and Shireen's relationship.
The wealthy family's domestic security cannot shield its teenagers from cultural, sexual, and political pressures.
Films like Circumstance, and why
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
shared queer coming-of-age drama, political repression, and intimate forbidden romance
My Summer of Love
shared lesbian relationship drama shaped by restrictive social and religious pressures
Pariah
shared lgbtq+ themes, family conflict, and emotionally charged identity struggles
A Separation
shared iranian social realism, youth rebellion, and conflict between private desire and public conformity
Movie Details
- Director
- Maryam Keshavarz
- Release Date
- 2011-08-26
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (94)
Cast
- Nikohl Boosheri
- Sarah Kazemy
- Reza Sixo Safai
- Soheil Parsa
- Nasrin Pakkho
- Sina Amedson
- Keon Alexander
- Amir Barghashi
- Elie Njeim
- Hadi Tabbal
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- DocuramaFilms Amazon Channel
- 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 Circumstance about?
- Two affluent Tehran teenagers pursue a forbidden romance while family repression and a troubled brother threaten to expose their private lives.
- What is Circumstance like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Circumstance as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Circumstance violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Circumstance as mild.
- What did critics think of Circumstance?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as a compelling and visually assured drama about queer desire, youth, and repression, despite some unevenness.
- Which films are like Circumstance?
- Films with a similar feel include The Miseducation of Cameron Post, My Summer of Love, Pariah, and A Separation.
- How long is Circumstance?
- Circumstance runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Circumstance?
- In United States, Circumstance streams on DocuramaFilms Amazon Channel.
