| The Circle (Der Kreis) | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Stefan Haupt |
| Written by | Stefan Haupt, Christian Felix, Ivan Madeo, Urs Frey |
| Produced by | Ivan Madeo, Urs Frey |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Tobias Dengler |
| Edited by | Christoph Menzi |
| Music by | Federico Bettini |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Language | Swiss German |
The Circle (German:Der Kreis) is a 2014 Swiss docudrama film.[1] Written and directed byStefan Haupt, the film concerns the social network of gay men that developed inZürich in the 1940s and 1950s, centered onThe Circle, a gay publication, and the social events it sponsored. As the police investigate three murders of gay men byrent boys, theyscapegoatThe Circle and its subscribers for making Zürich an international center of gay tourism.[1]
The film focuses on the story of Ernst Ostertag andRöbi Rapp, a schoolteacher and adrag entertainer, who met through their participation in the publication inner circle and began a lifelong romantic relationship. Interviews with them and other survivors and experts on the era are interspersed with documentary film and photographs as well as a scripted dramatic enactment of the story. The lack of legal proscription against homosexuals and Zürich's growing notoriety provide the context for the growth of a publication that overtly catered to a gay readership while avoiding explicit materials, both in prose and illustrations, in order to meet the standards of Swiss censorship.
The couple are portrayed by Matthias Hungerbühler and Sven Schelker, with documentary interviews with the real Ostertag and Rapp.
The Circle was selected as the Swiss entry for theBest Foreign Language Film at the87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.
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The film was premiered at the2014 Berlin Film Festival in Panorama section.
The Circle has an approval rating of 100% onreview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10.[2]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[3]
The film won theTeddy Award for Best Documentary at the2014 Berlin Film Festival,[4][5] as well as the Panorama Audience Award. North American distribution rights were subsequently acquired byWolfe Video.[6] It was selected as the Swiss entry for theBest Foreign Language Film at the87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[7][8] Director Stefan Haupt said "it's an honour to represent Switzerland".[9]