The Circle (2016)

The American techno-thriller film, The Circle (2017), was directed by James Ponsoldt with a screenplay written by both Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers. It was based on Eggers’ 2013 novel of the same name. Through her friend Annie, Mae Holland secures a customer support position at The Circle, a tech and social media company. Mae takes the job to support her parents, particularly her father who suffers from multiple sclerosis. However, her longtime friend Mercer is not as supportive. During a company meeting, CEO Eamon Bailey introduces SeeChange – a technology that uses small cameras to provide real-time high-quality videos from anywhere. Mae quickly rises within The Circle and becomes immersed in social networking. She also meets Ty Lafitte, who displays skepticism towards the enthusiastic attitude of other employees. At an outdoor company rally emphasizing the importance of accountability in politics, Chief Operating Officer Tom Stenton introduces Congresswoman Olivia Santos. She has agreed to publicly share her daily work through SeeChange.

Ty then leads Mae to the cloud server where SeeChange’s data will be stored. Mae is taken aback when she realizes Ty is also the mastermind behind TrueYou, the Circle’s social platform, and she hadn’t recognized him. He explains that the current use of TrueYou goes against his original vision for it. Later, Mae’s mother shares a photo on her Circle account of a chandelier made by Mercer using deer antlers. Mae takes a picture of it and posts it on her profile as well. However, the image receives negative attention, with accusations that Mercer killed the deer. Mercer confronts Mae at work and asks her to leave him alone. Feeling upset by his reaction, Mae decides to go kayaking at night, but rough waters cause her kayak to overturn and she needs to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The rescue was made possible through SeeChange cameras recording her acquiring the kayak and capsizing it.