The Circle

***The Circle*** is a 2017 American techno-thriller film.

## Synopsis

A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover an agenda that will affect the lives of all of humanity.

## Plot

When her car breaks down, Mae Holland contacts an old acquaintance, Mercer, who is liked by her parents: Vinnie has multiple sclerosis and needs the help of his wife, Bonnie.

Mae's friend Annie Allerton works at The Circle, a tech company where Mae gets a job in Customer Experience.

At a company meeting, Eamon Bailey introduces SeeChange, which uses small cameras placed anywhere to provide real-time video.

At work, Mae rises in The Circle, embracing social networking. At a company presentation, Tom Stenton introduces a political candidate. Tom explains how transparency brings accountability. A man Mae previously met at a party is in the crowd and leaves once the candidate ceases talking.

Mae again sees the man from the party, Ty Lafitte. He takes her to an abandoned underground area, saying that the plan is to keep all information on everyone in this area. Ty does not seem comfortable with this new direction. Mae becomes embarrassed, as Ty is the creator of True You, a very popular Circle product, and she did not know who he was. He tells her that True You has been morphed into something that he did not intend and that he has taken a back seat at The Circle.

Later, Mae is shown a picture of a chandelier made by Mercer in the shape of (or from) deer antlers. She photographs it and shares it on her Circle profile. The image attracts significant negative attention to Mercer, with people accusing him of killing real animals. Mercer confronts Mae about sharing the picture. Despite her insistence that she did not intend to hurt him, Mercer storms off.

Mae goes kayaking at night and has to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The next day, Eamon says that SeeChange cameras recorded her at the kayak premises and in the water. She was saved because of this. At the next meeting, Eamon introduces Mae and they discuss her experience of rescue. She becomes the first circler to go "completely transparent." This involves wearing a small camera and exposing her life to the world. Annie is in the audience.

Mae's transparency damages her relationships. She accidentally sees her parents having sex. She quickly turns away from the camera, but everyone following her sees in turn.

At a board meeting, Eamon announces support from all 50 states for voting through Circle accounts. Mae suggests requiring every individual to have a Circle account. Eamon and Tom approve, but the suggestion upsets Annie. At the next company-wide meeting, Mae says that The Circle believes it can find anyone on the planet in under 20 minutes. She identifies an escaped prisoner. Within 10 minutes, Circlers around the world find the prisoner through social media and SeeChange cameras. Mae suggests transparency can be a force for good.

Mae says that the program can find anyone. Someone suggests Mercer. Tom persuades Mae to continue, asking if they can break their record of 10 minutes. Mercer is located in a cabin. Disturbed, and wanting privacy, he drives off trying to escape those tracking him but, under stress, he drives off a bridge to his death. Mae is horrified. She moves back in with her parents. She calls Annie, who has also left The Circle, to her apparent benefit. Mae, however, finds that connection with others helps her cope with Mercer's death.

Mae returns to the Circle, despite her parents' pleas. Mae calls Ty to ask for a favor, and Ty tells her something that he has discovered. At the next company-wide meeting, Mae says how connection has helped her recover. She speaks with Eamon and invites Tom onstage, then inviting both Eamon and Tom to go fully transparent. She explains how Ty has found all their accounts, even the accounts that their wives were unaware of, and exposes them as no one should be exempt. Eamon and Tom, clearly upset, try to save face before Tom leaves the stage.

Mae reiterates her point of transparency being good, with the support of the audience. Mae goes kayaking again, untroubled by the drones that surround her.