It
is an online service that offers one-stop shopping for all the creepier aspects
of online life, such as invasive social media, massive personal data
collection, and obscenely smug TED Talks. Imagine a time when your privacy is
constantly compromised by a tech giant that uses its liberal hippy-dippy
corporate ethos to justify a terrifying not-so hidden agenda. Yes, it is the
world of today presented as if it is the near future in James Ponsoldt’s The Circle (trailer here), which opens today
in theaters following its premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Mae
Holland is starting in whatever touchy-feely euphemism The Circle uses for
customer service, but she has cause for optimism, because many in the Maoist-sounding
“Gang of 40” started there as well. However, she will have to maintain her user
feedback score and get better about integrating her social life into the
company’s cult-like extracurricular lifestyle. Unfortunately, a post about her
childhood friend Mercer inspires a rash of cyber-stalkings from coworkers
labeling him a “deer-killer.”
Although
somewhat unnerved by his woes, Holland has already drunk deeply from the Kool
Aid at this point, especially when she becomes the poster child for the company’s
“transparent” world view. Like a dystopian Big
Brother contestant, Holland agrees to broadcast her life on The Circle
around the clock, with only limited work-arounds for nature calls. This
inevitably leads to fissures with her family and ultimately leads to tragedy.
It
is all scary as heck, but none of what we see in the film seems speculative in
a science fiction kind of way. The genie is already out of the bottle. Watching
the privacy issues play out in The Circle
is like revisiting the warnings of media manipulation in Sidney Lumet’s Network. We’re already there and beyond,
but we can still appreciate the caustic wit of Paddy Chayefsky’s screenplay.
Ponsoldt
and David Eggars’ adaptation of the latter’s novel lacks a similar edge, but it
does offer insight into why we collectively so often knowingly and willingly
facilitate the erosion of our own privacy, against our better judgement. Yet,
Holland’s ultimate rebellion is not on behalf of privacy, but for its complete
eradication on scrupulously equal terms. Arguably, what is most terrifying
about The Circle is that it will not
be seen as terrifying by millions of government-trusting, privacy and free
speech-sacrificing millennials. This is especially true of the scheme Holland
and charismatic company founder Eamon Bailey hatch to integrate elections into The Circle and make voting mandatory.
Casting
Tom Hanks as Bailey, the Zennish overlord of The Circle, masterly subverts his
Speilberg-and-apple pie image. Relative unknown Emma Watson is believably malleable
as Holland, but she conspicuously struggles to carry the film as the on-screen-99%-of-the-time
lead. On the other hand, John Boyega brings a nervy intelligence to the picture
as morally-troubled Circle inventor Ty Laffite, but it is hard to understand
why his character would collaborate with Holland’s ultimate plans. Still, Glenne
Headley and the late, great Bill Paxton are quite touching as Holland’s
confused mother and MS-stricken father. However, the breakthrough turn comes
from scene-stealing Karen Gillan as Holland’s college friend Annie, a disillusioned
and displaced Gang of 40 member.
