Der Kreis

The Circle seems like an unusually well-made home movie, like a 60th anniversary present from an extraordinarily rich and generous friend. It tells the personal story of an old gay Swiss couple through interviews with them and amazingly effective reenactments of their experiences in the mid-1950s in Zurich. They aren't particularly interesting people, but the movie is so well made that it's entertaining anyway.

As a documentary of Switzerland's uniquely civilized history of homophobia it's a curiosity at best, like an inside look at the interpersonal relationships between employees at a flower shop. If the worst that ever happened was a threat of forced outing, then Swiss gays have a lot to be grateful for and always did.

"The Circle" is a biopic unlike any other. It is the story of Ernst and Robi, two gay men who met in 1950's Zurich. Ernst was a teacher and Robi a cabaret artist who performed in drag. They became lovers and are still together today. In the film they are played by Matthias Hungerbuhler, (Ernst), and Sven Schelker, (Robi), but the real Ernst and Robi, now old men, also appear on camera, along with other real-life personalities from the period, talking about themselves and their lives together. They are wonderful people and are an inspiration to us all.

Of course, "The Circle" is a biopic of a different kind. The title refers both to the magazine they worked on as well as to the circle of gay men who had to live their lives in secret, not for fear of prosecution, (homosexuality was not illegal in Switzerland), but for fear of how they might be treated by the police and the State which was often just short of what it might have been under the Nazis, and once exposed they risked losing everything, not least their lives. At first the lack of laws prohibiting homosexuality meant that Zurich was something of a haven for gay men, not just from Switzerland, but also from Germany and other neighboring countries, but when homosexuals began to be murdered by rent boys, and the courts worked it so that the killer would become the victim and vice versa, things began to change for the worse.

Stefan Haupt's film is a tribute to what was fundamentally a gay rights movement long before anyone coined the phrase, at times funny and often very sad, (not everyone's life had a happy ending), but ultimately hugely uplifting, and it is beautifully made. Indeed, as 'historical' gay films go this is one of the best and it shouldn't be missed.

I dont usually go for documentary (type) movies but I am glad I watched this one. Very well done and presented. Excellent switching back and forth from 1950s to "current" interviews with Ernst and Robi I loved it

While there is still a lot of homophobia and a lot of discrimination against gay people in general, this documentary does focus on a magazine that was developed and delivered so that people would not have to expose themselves. Nowadays with Internet and whatnot, it is obviously a lot easier to do that, but it is a true testament to time and will, to see what some people had to go through to reach a certain kind of freedom to express themselves.

I hadn't heard of that particular magazine and had no clue what the movie was about, when I watched it at the Festival in Berlin. So while I was surprised by the topic itself, I have to admit, the movie itself is very well done. Nicely shot and edited, with lots of Interviews and people remembering what it was like, it does get you into that mindset ... Watch if you're not "afraid"

Der Kreis is a Swiss movie shown in the U.S. with the title The Circle (2014). It's directed and co- written by Stefan Haupt.

In Zurich, in 1958, a young gay teacher (Ernst) falls in love with a beautiful gay singer (Robi). Gay relationships were legal in Switzerland at the time, but discretion was still required.

Ernst and Robi were members of The Circle, which was an organization of gay men. The Circle organized social events and published a magazine. They didn't disturb the social order, and the police didn't disturb them.

However, in retrospect, the police were waiting for an excuse to cause trouble for gays. Suddenly, using the excuse of several murders among the gay community, the police got tough. They raided legal events, and arrested people who weren't guilty of any crime. This put the pressure on The Circle, and the film follows these events.

The best part of the documentary is that Ernst and Robi are still alive, still a couple, and were willing to be part of the movie. So, the re-creations we see aren't just hypothetical. They are informed by the participation of people who were there.

In my mind, this was the best film we saw as part of the superb Rochester ImageOut LGBT Film Festival. We saw it on the large screen at the Little Theatre, but it will work well on DVD.