The Circle

The Circle

2000 · 91 min · ★ 7.0 · Drama

Various women struggle to function in the oppressively sexist society of contemporary Iran.

Directed by Jafar Panahi · Written by Kambuzia Partovi

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Metrograph

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 5m together

The Circle

The Mirror

Both from Jafar Panahi.

More from Jafar PanahiSee all →

The White BalloonThe White Balloon · 1995
The White Balloon
7.51995
MovieDramaFamily
Several people try to take advantage of a little girl's innocence to hustle money her mom gave to her to buy a goldfish with.
Through the Olive TreesThrough the Olive Trees · 1995
Through the Olive Trees
7.41995
MovieDramaRomance
When the actor in a scene for his film Life And Nothing More… has to quit, a film director casts another man for the part. However, complications arise since the man and the woman who was cast for the scene know each other.
The White MeadowsThe White Meadows · 2009
The White Meadows
7.42009
MovieDrama
Rahmat travels to a host of islands in a vast salt pan in order to collect the inhabitant's tears for an unknown purpose. He is joined on his mysterious journey by a young boy searching for his father. As their travel nears its end, a potent critique of Iran's political leadership emerges.
The WitnessThe Witness · 2025
The Witness
7.42025
MovieDrama
In Iran, the retired dance teacher Tarlan witnesses her friend Rana's murder by her husband, who is an important government figure. When the police refuse to investigate, Tarlan must decide whether to bow to political pressure or risk her reputation and livelihood in pursuit of justice.
The MirrorThe Mirror · 1997
The Mirror
7.31997
MovieDrama
When a young girl's mother doesn't meet her after school, she tries to navigate the streets of Tehran by herself.
It Was Just an AccidentIt Was Just an Accident · 2025
It Was Just an Accident
7.22025
MovieDramaThriller
An unassuming mechanic is reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he encounters a man he suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor.
TaxiTaxi · 2015
Taxi
7.12015
MovieComedyDrama
A yellow cab is driving through the vibrant and colourful streets of Tehran. Very diverse passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being interviewed by the driver who is no one else but the director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio captures the spirit of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive…
OffsideOffside · 2006
Offside
7.02006
MovieComedyDrama
During the 2006 World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, numerous young women are caught and rounded up for dressing as men so they could gain access to the game. Guarded by several soldiers in a holding pen, the women attempt to keep updated on the score.
Where Are You, Jafar Panahi?Where Are You, Jafar Panahi? · 2026
Where Are You, Jafar Panahi?
7.02026
MovieDocumentary
Jafar Panahi and fellow Iranian director Majid Barzegar take a 20-minute drive to Kiarostami’s grave, during which time “the two friends speak appropriately of cinema, but also censorship and festivals, police power and ideology.”
Crimson GoldCrimson Gold · 2003
Crimson Gold
6.92003
MovieDramaCrime
Pizza man Hussein is a daily witnesses to the unjust distribution of wealth in his native Iran. One day, he finds a purse filled with shockingly expensive receipts from an upscale jewelry store. He attempts to bring the purse back to the store, but because of his working-class attire, he's not allowed inside. Then, during a delivery, a rich man invites Hussein into his extravagant mansion – an event that spurs Hussein to make a desperate bid for wealth.
No BearsNo Bears · 2022
No Bears
6.92022
MovieDramaRomance
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who has been barred from leaving the country, arrives at a village on the Iran-Turkey border to supervise a film based on a real-life couple seeking passports to Europe being shot in Turkey, but both his stay and the production run into trouble.
This Is Not a FilmThis Is Not a Film · 2011
This Is Not a Film
6.92011
MovieDocumentary
Renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi received a 6-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban from filmmaking and conducting interviews with foreign press due to his open support for the opposition party in Iran's 2009 election. In this film, which was shot secretly by Panahi's close friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and smuggled into France on a USB stick concealed inside a cake for a last-minute submission to Cannes, Panahi documents his daily life under house arrest as he awaits a decision on his appeal.
Closed CurtainClosed Curtain · 2013
Closed Curtain
6.82013
MovieDrama
In a secluded house by the sea with the curtains shut, a screenwriter hides from the world with only his dog as company. The tranquility is abruptly broken one night by the arrival of a young woman fleeing from the authorities. Refusing to leave, she takes refuge in the house. But come dawn, another unexpected presence will change everything.
3 Faces3 Faces · 2018
3 Faces
6.72018
MovieDrama
Filmmaker Jafar Panahi and actor Behnaz Jafari travel to a tiny village after receiving a plea for help from a girl whose family has forbidden her from studying acting. Amusing encounters abound, but they soon discover that the local hospitality is rivaled by the desire to protect old traditions.
Hit the RoadHit the Road · 2021
Hit the Road
6.72021
MovieComedyDrama
A chaotic family is on a road trip across a rugged landscape. In the back seat, Dad has a broken leg, Mom tries to laugh when she's not holding back tears, and the youngest keeps exploding into car karaoke. Only the older brother is quiet.
The Year of the Everlasting StormThe Year of the Everlasting Storm · 2021
The Year of the Everlasting Storm
6.42021
MovieDramaMystery
Featuring seven stories from seven auteurs from around the world, the film chronicles this unprecedented moment in time, and is a true love letter to the power of cinema and its storytellers.

More Like This

The Secret AgentThe Secret Agent · 2025
The Secret Agent
7.22025
MovieThrillerDrama
Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.
High SierraHigh Sierra · 1941
High Sierra
7.11941
MovieCrimeDrama
Given a pardon from jail, Roy Earle gets back into the swing of things as he robs a swanky resort.
The Peanut Butter FalconThe Peanut Butter Falcon · 2019
The Peanut Butter Falcon
7.42019
MovieAdventureComedy
A down-on-his-luck crab fisherman embarks on a journey to get a young man with Down syndrome to a professional wrestling school in rural North Carolina and away from the retirement home where he’s lived for the past two and a half years.
ShooterShooter · 2007
Shooter
7.12007
MovieDramaAction
A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.
OffsideOffside · 2006
Offside
7.02006
MovieComedyDrama
During the 2006 World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, numerous young women are caught and rounded up for dressing as men so they could gain access to the game. Guarded by several soldiers in a holding pen, the women attempt to keep updated on the score.
White HeatWhite Heat · 1949
White Heat
7.61949
MovieCrimeDrama
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid · 1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7.61969
MovieWesternCrime
As the west rapidly becomes civilized, a pair of outlaws in 1890s Wyoming find themselves pursued by a posse and decide to flee to South America in hopes of evading the law.
The FugitiveThe Fugitive · 1993
The Fugitive
7.51993
MovieActionThriller
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
The Sugarland ExpressThe Sugarland Express · 1974
The Sugarland Express
6.61974
MovieCrimeDrama
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss SongSweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song · 1971
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
5.11971
MovieActionCrime
After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.
The GetawayThe Getaway · 1972
The Getaway
7.11972
MovieActionCrime
A recently released ex-convict and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes wrong.
Enemy of the StateEnemy of the State · 1998
Enemy of the State
7.11998
MovieActionDrama
When the videotape of the murder of a congressman unknowingly ends up in the hands of labor lawyer and dedicated family man Robert Clayton Dean, he is framed for the murder. With the help of the mysterious Brill, Dean attempts to throw the NSA off his trail and prove his innocence.
Thelma & LouiseThelma & Louise · 1991
Thelma & Louise
7.61991
MovieDramaCrime
Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma and Louise embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter