--- description: Find out why The Circle (2000) was selected for the list title: 100 Best Movies of the Past 10 Decades: The Circle (2000) image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ba3d28de0e1db2f/698a3f004ee262358f31b990/top-100-movies-2000s-circle-02.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 26, 2023 # _The Circle_ (2000) by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Maryam Parvin and Nargess Mamizadeh in The Circle. Maryam Parvin and Nargess Mamizadeh in The Circle.Winstar Cinema/Everett Collection Embattled Iranian filmmaker [Jafar Panahi](https://time.com/6243337/no-bears-iran-interview/ "undefined") has been an irritant [in the eyes of his government](https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2063218%5F2063273%5F2063240,00.html "undefined") for at least a quarter century, and even after years of off-and-on imprisonment—and the persistent threat of worse punishments—he shows no sign of backing down. _The Circle_, his third full-length feature, was, unsurprisingly, banned in his home country. Decades after its appearance, it stands as a statement of defiance, a cry of quiet anguish over the way [Iranian women](https://time.com/6295238/iran-morality-police-return/ "undefined") are [continually oppressed](https://time.com/heroes-of-the-year-2022-women-of-iran/ "undefined") by their government—though it also shows how sticking together is their best hope. Panahi follows a group of women who have just been released from prison, their stories interconnected and ever-shifting. Arezou (Maryiam Palvin Almani) and Nargess (Nargess Mamizadeh) scramble to make a plan for their future—though even more immediate needs, like finding a way to sneak a forbidden cigarette, take precedence. Pari (Fereshteh Sadre Orfaiy), another newly released prisoner, has no home to return to. Her brothers have threatened her, and there’s no one to help her in her desperation—she’s four months pregnant. _The Circle_ is relatively restrained as a piece of filmmaking, though it’s so dramatically textured that you feel something’s happening every minute. Panahi’s camera, more than just reading the characters, practically breathes with them. His empathy is his most effective cinematic tool. The Circle (2000): 100 Best Movies of the Past 10 Decades ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-movies/6296104/the-circle-2000/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-movies/6296104/the-circle-2000/"},"headline":"The Circle (2000)","datePublished":"2023-07-26T11:32:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:17:25.039Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-movies/6296104/the-circle-2000/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ba3d28de0e1db2f/698a3f004ee262358f31b990/top-100-movies-2000s-circle-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ba3d28de0e1db2f/698a3f004ee262358f31b990/top-100-movies-2000s-circle-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-movies/6296104/the-circle-2000/","name":"The Circle (2000)"}}]}] ```