Circle is a Sci-Fi social experiment where a group of people fleeing an alien invasion awaken to find themselves locked inside a room with a giant circular dial in the middle. It takes them a little bit of time to realize that each of them are “voting” to pick who will die. After discussing their options (of which there aren’t many; you choose who dies or you might be next), good and bad traits are revealed and cliques form in a battle for survival.

I wasn’t sure what to think about this film when it first began—spending 87 minutes in one room with the same people seemed like it might be a bit much, but I gotta give props to the filmmakers; it actually seemed just right. The cast is diverse and not entirely unrecognizable (hi Julie Benz!); something which suits the mood of the movie really well. All in all, I thought Circle was a good, suspenseful way to spend my viewing time.

{Circle screens at SIFF 5/28, 9pm—screening on standby—and again 5/29, 1:15pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown. Directors Aaron Hann & Mario Miscione are scheduled to attend both screenings}