a beautiful film. the proof could be the state after its end, remaining fresh for a long time. it is complicated to define this beauty. because it is a mix of states, music, images and empathy. because it seems a kind of fairy tale. in which scene by scene is well known. a film about love, loss and refuge. about broken borders. and about the dream as the only reasonable reality. a film for reflect, imagine yourself, discover the truth beyond appearances. and about the fundamental choice who change everything.
2 Reviews
Achingly beautiful
bob the moo26 December 2016
On the face of it, the plot of a young person trying to move on from the loss of a loved one is not the most novel of scenarios, and to be fair if you view this film purely in terms of this narrative then you could be forgiven for seeing it this way. However Circle is a film that is delivered with such delicate touches, and such a sense of beauty that it is really hard not to be moved by it.
The narrative is probably the most important aspect, and it is to the credit of the film that it makes it work without dialogue and without forcing it. The special effects used are good, but for me the film delivers in regard to the pacing, the performance, the use of music, and the sense of happiness and anguish that it summons up. The lead performance from Wissmann is so internal that she makes so much happen with tiny changes to her body and eyes – the tensing of muscles, the dimming or raising of the light within them, it is a very assured and controlled performance and one all the more impressive for how focused on her the camera is, and the amount of technical aspects she had to be part of. The music adds to this sense of small things doing a lot of work because, although it is present and guiding, it is done delicately – so although it does guide the viewer in feeling, it is never heavy-handed or feeling manipulative as can so easily happen.
For many viewers though, the technical delivery will be the thing that really makes the main impact, because it is a film that is not only delicate in the construct, but really beautiful to watch. The opening shot sees a drone used to sweep the camera round in a fantastic single movement which is smooth and really well delivered. From here the film has a range of things going on, whether it be the obvious visual effects, or the more subtle which sees the film feel like it is a performance on a stage, while also being part of a bigger landscape. To be honest the film is perhaps too beautiful to totally get into – it is like one of those things that is almost impossibly beautiful and, as a result, you stand back from it to both appreciate its beauty, and also avoid any risk that you might somehow damage it.
This is a "fault" worth having though, because the beauty of the technical delivery, and the delicateness of the music, performance, and concept, all work together very well to produce a film that is achingly beautiful is so many regards, and really hard not to love.
The narrative is probably the most important aspect, and it is to the credit of the film that it makes it work without dialogue and without forcing it. The special effects used are good, but for me the film delivers in regard to the pacing, the performance, the use of music, and the sense of happiness and anguish that it summons up. The lead performance from Wissmann is so internal that she makes so much happen with tiny changes to her body and eyes – the tensing of muscles, the dimming or raising of the light within them, it is a very assured and controlled performance and one all the more impressive for how focused on her the camera is, and the amount of technical aspects she had to be part of. The music adds to this sense of small things doing a lot of work because, although it is present and guiding, it is done delicately – so although it does guide the viewer in feeling, it is never heavy-handed or feeling manipulative as can so easily happen.
For many viewers though, the technical delivery will be the thing that really makes the main impact, because it is a film that is not only delicate in the construct, but really beautiful to watch. The opening shot sees a drone used to sweep the camera round in a fantastic single movement which is smooth and really well delivered. From here the film has a range of things going on, whether it be the obvious visual effects, or the more subtle which sees the film feel like it is a performance on a stage, while also being part of a bigger landscape. To be honest the film is perhaps too beautiful to totally get into – it is like one of those things that is almost impossibly beautiful and, as a result, you stand back from it to both appreciate its beauty, and also avoid any risk that you might somehow damage it.
This is a "fault" worth having though, because the beauty of the technical delivery, and the delicateness of the music, performance, and concept, all work together very well to produce a film that is achingly beautiful is so many regards, and really hard not to love.
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