The Circle

For years we hear nothing from Swiss cinema. And then we get this: a searingly political docudrama about gay emancipation in 1950s Zurich. The Circle (Der Kreis) is named for the pioneering LGBT magazine around which Switzerland’s gay society revolved in the mid-20^th century. It zooms in on the tortuous relationship between a young teacher and a drag queen who meet at an event organised by the mag. Acclaimed director Stefan Haupt intersperses a dramatic re-enactment of the story with interviews with the real-life pair, who eventually became the first gay couple to register as partners in Switzerland. It’s a bold gambit, but it appears to have worked: The Circle has already hoovered up a stack of awards, and has been selected to represent Switzerland at the Oscars next year. We’re intrigued.