Title: The Circle (Der Kreis)
Director: Stefan Haupt
Starring: Ernst Ostertag, Roebi Rapp, Matthias Hungerbuhler, Sven Schelker.
Switzerland has chosen the German-language ‘Der Kreis’, (The Circle) as its submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
Director Stefan Haupt’s film takes place in the Zurich gay scene of the 1950s and 1960s and tells the true story of the relationship of Ernst Ostertag and Roebi Rapp. The film smoothly blends fiction with documentary to tell the real-life story of the couple, who met through The Circle, a Zurich gay club and magazine founded during World War II, which eventually became the first gay rights organisation in Europe. Usually mixing genres may be counteractive but in this case ‘The Circle’ finds the perfect storytelling to retrace the history of the first same-sex couple to register as partners in Switzerland in the 2000s.
Actor Matthias Hungerbuhler plays Ernst whereas Sven Schelker interprets Roebi. The period reenactments are effective in portraying how the couple met and fell in love and how the circumstances were much more difficult for gay men in the 1950s, even in a country where homosexuality was not a crime, unlike in neighbouring Germany.
The vintage cinematography and wonderful performance by the entire cast draws the audience back to an era as alluring for style and as disquieting for bans, where there was a thorough witch-hunt towards homosexuals. Production designer Karin Giezendanner and the costume designs of Catherine Schneider evoke the period majestically, ensuring the characters are the main focus throughout. Whereas Federico Bettini’s score creates the proper atmosphere to balance the retro feeling retro with the cinematic emotional undercurrents.
This Berlinale premiere gem won both the Teddy and the Panorama Audience Award in the best documentary category and has been sold to several territories including the U.S., where Wolfe Releasing picked up all rights. The Oscar would be more than well deserved.
Technical: A-
Acting: B+
Story: A+
Overall: A
Written by: Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
