This film is currently unavailable
The Square Circle
Amol Palekar’s groundbreaking film follows the journey of young woman who reinvents herself as a man after she's kidnapped and attacked.
Director: Amol Palekar
Overview
When a young village girl (Sonali Kulkarni) is attacked and later abandoned on the eve of her wedding, she finds solace in the unlikely form of a transvestite folk singer/actor (Nirmal Pandey). She, disguised as a man, and ‘he’ as a woman, embark upon a journey of mutual self discovery and enlightenment, examining issues of identity and gender stereotypes – and finding love – along the way.
Amol Palekar’s groundbreaking film tackles a number of Indian cinema's taboos, from violence against women to gender identity, in ways that remain relevant today, but make it even more remarkable it was produced in 1996. Despite such hard-hitting themes, The Square Circle is a tender and moving story leavened with humour, dance and song.
Related
There Is No Evil There Is No Evil
Drama 2020 151 mins Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Mohammad Rasoulof’s critical anthology film tells the stories of four executioners in Iran and the profound psychological impact of the practice.
Morvern Callar Morvern Callar
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Lynne Ramsay
Samantha Morton plays the enigmatic title character in Lynne Ramsay’s dreamy and atmospheric road movie.
April April
Drama 2024 134 mins Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
A doctor in rural Georgia faces scrutiny after a baby dies during childbirth in this affecting and atmospheric abortion drama.
Student Services Student Services
Drama 2010 103 mins Director: Emmanuelle Bercot
A cash-strapped student becomes an escort exposing the stark realities of economic exploitation in this uncompromising gritty French drama.
Following Following
Drama 1999 67 mins Director: Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan’s gritty neo-noir first feature about a young London writer who gets drawn into a criminal underworld.
Insomnia Insomnia
Thriller 2002 118 mins Director: Christopher Nolan
Al Pacino shines in Christopher Nolan’s smart psychological thriller about a weary detective chasing a murder suspect in remote Alaska.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Thriller 2024 167 mins Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Mohammad Rasoulof's powerful, vital, Oscar and BAFTA-nominated thriller about a bureaucrat torn between loyalty to his family and the Iranian regime.
There Is No Evil There Is No Evil
Drama 2020 151 mins Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Mohammad Rasoulof’s critical anthology film tells the stories of four executioners in Iran and the profound psychological impact of the practice.
Morvern Callar Morvern Callar
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Lynne Ramsay
Samantha Morton plays the enigmatic title character in Lynne Ramsay’s dreamy and atmospheric road movie.
April April
Drama 2024 134 mins Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
A doctor in rural Georgia faces scrutiny after a baby dies during childbirth in this affecting and atmospheric abortion drama.
Student Services Student Services
Drama 2010 103 mins Director: Emmanuelle Bercot
A cash-strapped student becomes an escort exposing the stark realities of economic exploitation in this uncompromising gritty French drama.
Following Following
Drama 1999 67 mins Director: Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan’s gritty neo-noir first feature about a young London writer who gets drawn into a criminal underworld.