Dayereh 2000

Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News: An impressive piece of work, especially considering it was made in a barren artistic climate overseen by a censorious government. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: One of the deepest impressions The Circle leaves is of the terrifying but also in its way thrilling complexity of experience. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Read more

John Zebrowski, Seattle Times: Feels less like a movie than a civics lesson. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Restrained yet powerful, devastating in its emotional effects. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Just like Tomb Raider, it is fiction. It just unfortunately comes a lot closer than the American film to the truth of how its female characters live. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Circles the heart of noisy, modern Tehran with an informal, documentary-like freedom that is thrilling in its naturalism. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Read more

Jan Stuart, Newsday: As potent an indictment of a social order as the novels of Kafka and the great Italian neo-realist films of the '40s and '50s. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Profoundly dangerous to the status quo in Iran because it asks us to identify with the plight of women who have done nothing wrong except to be female. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: A wondrous meditation on the unspoken communication that sometimes passes between members of the same sex. Read more

Wesley Morris, San Francisco Chronicle: It's a startling, speedy, gracefully executed indictment. Read more

Time Out: Read more

Deborah Young, Variety: Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: A dark, sustained, and wrenching film. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: A memorable and devastating indictment of the oppression facing many women in Iran. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: In its brisk way, it's a devastating piece of work, and very brave too. Read more