The Circle

The Circle – Due to her friend getting her an interview, Mae Holland lands a job with technology giant ‘The Circle’ the company everyone wants to work for. When she finds out that the voluntary social networking is actual verging on compulsory, she throws herself into the community, quickly climbing the ranks to being the guinea pig for a new idea to watch a person’s every move. With The Circle having ever more advanced ideas on how to keep tabs on people, will their business model cross the line of what is ethical?

The Circle (2017) – Director: James Ponsoldt

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52503603

Rating: 12

Running Length: 110 mins

Starring: Emma Watson, Karen Gillan, Tom Hanks

Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller

REVIEW: ‘THE CIRCLE’

Social media, technology, the internet; can a day go by when we do not hear about them? Even those who choose not to be online will struggle not to feel bombarded with the persuasive language to ensnare them into something seemingly simple, like setting up an email account. While for many it is an innocuous essential part of everyday life, there’s no denying that such technology isn’t without its fair share of controversy. So, ‘The Circle’ puts its arm around our shoulders and guides us in to the comfortable world of technology and social media, a world where everyone belongs and is accepted, although of course your total compliance is expected in return.

The story follows Mae (Emma Watson), a bright young woman whose hardworking, high-flying friend (Karen Gillan) gets her an interview; Mae gets the job and quickly becomes a top employee due to her willingness to become the company’s guinea pig/poster child. While Mae sees everything we see (the increasingly frightening level of surveillance, etc), it is a shame that such an intelligent person fails to see the flaws of the company, instead choosing to prioritise her career over any moral compass she may have. The warnings given to her by trusted individuals are completely ignored, her humiliating her loving and supportive parents is laughed off and the violent abuse a friend receives because of her actions is brushed aside as his problem, not hers. While this lack of accountability may mirror that of the company’s, as someone who seems to be a perfectly pleasant and emotionally intelligent individual the way she justifies all the harm she and the company cause those around her makes her much less likeable. Tom Hanks is excellent as the company’s head whose winning smile hides a far more sinister agenda.

Cleverly showing the benefits of such an invasive surveillance system (catching wanted murderers) before touching on the negatives, the story itself is interesting as a potential (near) future of where technology is heading. It may be well worth a watch but whether you warm to Mae’s character will make or break this move for you.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE CIRCLE’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Mae spends much of her first few weeks in her role at The Circle by herself with the exception of a friend who she knew before getting the job. She is approached by two other members of staff who passive aggressively berate her for not being involved with the online community. They tell her that this is not compulsory but it is clear from their words that there could be consequences if she doesn’t make herself visible to the rest of the staff. She understands what they are saying and immediately joins the community, throwing herself into the various discussions without question.

Due to her ambition to rise within the ranks, Mae agrees to wear a camera that records her every move and streams it live. She fully embraces this new technology and convinces others that it is great. At one point she attempts to find some solitude but when she almost drowns, she is saved by the drones that were sent to watch her. She is initially perturbed that she was still being watched but is soon convinced that this level of surveillance is a good thing and continues to sing its praises.

While wearing her recording device she attempts to contact her parents using an online video calling system. When she can’t find them in the communal rooms of the house, she looks in other rooms and comes across a distinctly private moment between them. She immediately turns away, nervously laughing with embarrassment. As all viewers have also seen this, they begin to make comments on what the couple were doing and, while the majority are positive, it deeply affects the couple to the point where they are unable to speak to Mae for some time.

A character, Mercer, makes various household items out of deer antlers and, when Mae shares a picture of one of his creations with her online followers, they begin to send him hateful messages and death threats, believing that he has hunted and killed the animals himself (which is untrue). Mercer is distressed by this, especially as he had no say in the picture being shared and tries to tell Mae about his concerns. She sympathises with him but doesn’t fully understand why he is so upset and essentially dismisses his complaints.

In order to show the benefits of a new surveillance technology, during a presentation a randomly selected wanted murderer is chosen from a database. This is a woman who locked her children in a closet, leaving them to starve to death as she went on a holiday.

A character is hounded by members of the public who surround their house, pounding on the windows and filming the character’s every move on their smart phones. The character flees in a vehicle but is followed closely by these people as well as drones. As he is distressed, he drives faster and continues to look around at his pursuers, causing his vehicle to crash.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE CIRCLE’ FOR KIDS?

Showing an interesting and believable perspective on where our reliance on technology is heading, ‘The Circle’ is a frighteningly too-close-to-home tale that gives us all something to think about but it’s poor characterisation of Mae makes it fall at the final hurdle to greatness. We recommend this movie for kids aged 12 and over.

• Violence: 1/5
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (a character is killed due to The Circle’s surveillance technology, another character who cared for them is upset by the death)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (the concept of being watched all the time may be distressing for some)
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (a couple are seen in an intimate, private moment. This is brief but it is clear what they are doing and the violation of their privacy is dismissed as not a big deal despite it deeply affecting them. It has been shared worldwide and social media comments from dozens of strangers are shown onscreen)
• Bad Language: 3/5 (moderate cursing throughout and a couple of stronger words)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (some of the insidious language used regarding the company’s desire to watch people’s every move could make some kids uncomfortable)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of technology, accountability, a global community, putting career over ethics, ignoring the concerns of others, online abuse, human rights, greed, exploitation and friendship.

Words by Laura Record

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