Circle is a 2015 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione.

The ensemble cast includes Carter Jenkins, Lawrence Kao, Allegra Masters, Michael Nardelli, Julie Benz, Mercy Malick, Lisa Pelikan, and Cesar Garcia.

In the film, fifty people wake up in a darkened room, only to find that one of them is killed every two minutes or when they attempt to leave.

[1] Fifty people awaken in a darkened room, arranged in two concentric circles around a black dome.

It is here that Eric makes the crucial observation that, since they can't vote for themselves, the game will proceed until there is only one player standing, whom will then get to live.

This revelation causes a schism between those who want that survivor to be themselves, those who believe either the pregnant girl or the child–Katie–should get to live, and those who simply withdraw and refuse to kill to stay alive in the circle.

After several of the latter group take their own lives by leaving formation to buy the others time, an atheist antagonizes the theists who praised the volunteers' faith.

One bloc (led by Eric, a Marine, and the cancer survivor) believes that everyone should sacrifice themselves to save the pregnant woman and the little girl, while the other bloc (led by a bearded man and a rich man) wants to eliminate them immediately as a threat to their survival, as they believe everyone is equal and no special privileges should be afforded.

Instead, it reveals that there has been a fifty-first player this whole time: the unborn child, still alive in the pregnant woman's now dead body.

He awakes in Los Angeles where he joins a group of people that are as varied as the contestants were in ages and ethnicities - including pregnant women.

Hann and Miscione wanted to address topical issues and provide a cynically tinged, antagonistic presence for the film.

Among the many topics covered, the writers spoke about the artistic and logistical reasons behind shooting in one room, and the benefits of using unknown actors.

[10] Tony Kay of City Arts Online wrote: "The movie engineers suspense expertly, and there's puzzle-box fun in trying to piece together exactly what's going on as each prospective execution barrels forward".

[12] Valeria Koulikova of the Queen Anne & Magnolia News wrote: "While the film's attempts to address social problems are beautifully done, leaving a bit of uncertainty in the end would have made a stronger finale".